priv8ter
Member
Saw this story on the news here today in Seattle.
ISSAQUAH, Wash. - A homeowner in the Tiger Mountain area of Issaquah killed a black bear in his back yard Sunday after the animal attacked his goats.
The bear was trying to snatch Heidi Sudall's pet goat Daisy, and would not be scared off.
"Terrified with my wife screaming ... I just had to go inside and do what had to be done," said Rob.
He grabbed his shotgun and killed the bear, but not before it killed the goat.
The couple is concerned because they're seeing more and more bears on their land and the bears appear to have no fear of people whatsoever, chasing their dog and rooting through the garbage.
"Naturally they're supposed to be afraid of people and when they stop fearing people that's when I start fearing the bears," said Heidi.
The Sudalls say exacerbating the problem are neighbors who put food out to feed the bears, treating these wild and dangerous animals like pets, but ultimately doing the bears a terrible disservice.
"I don't mind living with bears, but when people destroy nature by feeding them, that's where the problem comes in," said Rob.
The couple will keep their shotgun handy and hope any future visitors keep their distance.
"We are out in their territory, just gonna have to be more vigilant chase them away as much as you can," said Rob.
Locals say another part of the bear problem is that there isn't enough food for bears to eat yet, so the hungry bears are looking for other things to fill their bellies.
Wildlife workers say it's legal to shoot and kill a bear on your property, but only if the bear is threatening people or livestock.
Hmmm. Issaquah is located in the Cascade foothills, on the edge of Urban Sprawl. Ten years ago it was still very much the sticks. Now it is full of subdevelopments where people feed the bears because thye are cute.
It's a good thing that it was a Kid(goat) and not a kid(some poor 3-year old). But when people feed these animals, and they lose their fear of people, putting them down is sometimes the only way to stop them.
Wish the article said if he used slugs or buck shot. Another version of this story said he shot it three times.
greg
ISSAQUAH, Wash. - A homeowner in the Tiger Mountain area of Issaquah killed a black bear in his back yard Sunday after the animal attacked his goats.
The bear was trying to snatch Heidi Sudall's pet goat Daisy, and would not be scared off.
"Terrified with my wife screaming ... I just had to go inside and do what had to be done," said Rob.
He grabbed his shotgun and killed the bear, but not before it killed the goat.
The couple is concerned because they're seeing more and more bears on their land and the bears appear to have no fear of people whatsoever, chasing their dog and rooting through the garbage.
"Naturally they're supposed to be afraid of people and when they stop fearing people that's when I start fearing the bears," said Heidi.
The Sudalls say exacerbating the problem are neighbors who put food out to feed the bears, treating these wild and dangerous animals like pets, but ultimately doing the bears a terrible disservice.
"I don't mind living with bears, but when people destroy nature by feeding them, that's where the problem comes in," said Rob.
The couple will keep their shotgun handy and hope any future visitors keep their distance.
"We are out in their territory, just gonna have to be more vigilant chase them away as much as you can," said Rob.
Locals say another part of the bear problem is that there isn't enough food for bears to eat yet, so the hungry bears are looking for other things to fill their bellies.
Wildlife workers say it's legal to shoot and kill a bear on your property, but only if the bear is threatening people or livestock.
Hmmm. Issaquah is located in the Cascade foothills, on the edge of Urban Sprawl. Ten years ago it was still very much the sticks. Now it is full of subdevelopments where people feed the bears because thye are cute.
It's a good thing that it was a Kid(goat) and not a kid(some poor 3-year old). But when people feed these animals, and they lose their fear of people, putting them down is sometimes the only way to stop them.
Wish the article said if he used slugs or buck shot. Another version of this story said he shot it three times.
greg