June 9, 2001 Missoulian article by Michael Jarnison: Bear captured, shot after stealing trash.
WHITEFISH — A black bear, twice nabbed in the act of stealing a garbage meal from Flathead Valley residents, was killed Sunday night in Whitefish.
CAG Comment
Federal, State, and to some extent local land and resource management agencies are bent on establishing something called Y2Y which will further put the citizens under the thumb of the government. It is time we return to the THREE LEGGED STOOL!
End CAG Comment
The 4-year-old male bruin had given up on natural food sources, opting instead for the free lunch found around homes. Wildlife conflict specialist Erik Wenum shot the bear after capturing it at about 11 p.m. Sunday.
"All residents have to do is secure their garbage and other attractants," Wenum said, "and these bears will not get a food reward. Residents who don
't secure their attractants are responsible for these dead bears."The bear killed Sunday had been caught earlier this spring in the area south of Lakeside, where it had fed on garbage and birdseed left out by residents there. It was released in the Big Creek drainage in the Whitefish Range, but in a matter of just one week, walked back out of the woods to find garbage at homes along the east shore of Whitefish Lake.
Although homeowners there were asked to clean up trash and dog food, some continued to leave out trash and other bear attractants.
Those residents, Wenum said, caused the bear
's death by refusing to take simple steps to secure morsels a human-habituated bruin might find tasty.