Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Grizzly kills 13 sheep on grazing allotment
Wildlife managers say a grizzly bear killed 13 sheep last month on a grazing allotment in Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Mark Bruscino, bear management program supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said the bear killed eight ewes and five lambs Aug. 15. Bruscino estimates grizzlies have killed 35 cattle and 45 sheep statewide so far this year. “[Livestock losses] are not unusual where grizzly bears and domestic sheep overlap,” Bruscino said. “That applies to some degree with black bears.” Wildlife Services, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, responded to the scene and said the sheep were killed by a grizzly bear based on the tracks, Bruscino said. Officials have not attempted to relocate or kill the grizzly, in part because of the remote location where the incident occurred...JacksonHoleDaily
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This is sad. Does the bear thrill kill? I never could understand this concept in animals and I, like most people, prefer to think predatory animals only kill for food. What makes grizzlies do this? Is it their territorial instinct? Thanks to precious Knut, the lovely Flocke and spunky L'il Smokey, I have become an avid bear fan and am amazed to learn that they have the intelligence of the great apes according to recent studies. They have foolproof memories according to handlers. They can become very attached and gentle with no hint of violent tendencies when bottle fed as cubs. Bart Sr. and Buffy are examples of this deep lifelong bonding with their human parents. I find bears so fascinating. They are magnificent yet endearingly charismatic. Yet I don't understand their need to kill defenseless livestock. I don't go along with adult male's killing darling cubs either. Bears aren't perfect, that's for sure. But they do need protection as they are abused all over the world. I have donated my art on webshots (karenvstefanini) for bear and environmental protection groups.
Posted by Karen V. Stefanini, Beautiful Back Bay, Boston
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