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A Mother Bear And Her Two Cubs Killed Many Gather At Protest
On November 18th 2002, In South Lake Tahoe, Ca. A beautiful mother Bear and her two beautiful baby Cubs were shot to death murdered by government agency trappers! Your tax money is paying for these men to kill our wildlife! It has got to STOP!! voice your opinion.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — About 100 people gathered Sunday to protest the killings of three bears suspected of ransacking a cabin near Lake Tahoe’s south shore.
Participants waved placards and heard Washoe Tribe members sing a bear song during the three-hour rally here at the intersection of U.S. 50 and California 89.
The vigil was organized by the Homewood-based BEAR League, which tries to help ease bear-human conflicts in the Tahoe Basin.
“The motorists passing by were totally supportive. Everybody was waving or honking,” said Ann Bryant, the group’s executive director.
“A lot of people think what happened to the bears was inappropriate and not acceptable. It’s incredible the outpouring of support for our bears,” she said.
The rally was held to protest the killings two weeks ago of three bears suspected of ransacking a cabin near Camp Richardson.
The California Department of Fish and Game issued a depredation permit to owners of the cabin, allowing them to set up a baited trap.
Trappers shot a mother bear near the cabin and later killed two cubs caught in the trap — a long metal tube that contained food.
The cubs were destroyed because Fish and Game does not relocate bears.
Bryant said she does not think the three bears were the ones that triggered the depredation permit.
The cabin is located along a natural corridor used by bears to get to nearby Taylor Creek, the only Tahoe creek with spawning salmon. At least 18 bears feed on salmon there, she said.
“The bears didn’t even break into the cabin,” Bryant said. “They walked in because the door had blown in. They (occupants) had food on the counter.”
Occupants of the cabin declined comment.
The BEAR League decided to hold the rally after receiving more than 400 calls from angry Tahoe residents after the killings, Bryant said.
The number of bears killed at Tahoe is on the rise as the region continues to grow.
Sixteen bears have been struck and killed by vehicles on the Tahoe Basin’s California side this year. At least six bears have died on roads on the Nevada side.
The number of bears killed at Tahoe through depredation permits will be released at a later date, Bryant said.
The BEAR League is trying to get more residents and businesses to use bear-proof garbage containers.
Participants waved placards and heard Washoe Tribe members sing a bear song during the three-hour rally here at the intersection of U.S. 50 and California 89.
The vigil was organized by the Homewood-based BEAR League, which tries to help ease bear-human conflicts in the Tahoe Basin.
“The motorists passing by were totally supportive. Everybody was waving or honking,” said Ann Bryant, the group’s executive director.
“A lot of people think what happened to the bears was inappropriate and not acceptable. It’s incredible the outpouring of support for our bears,” she said.
The rally was held to protest the killings two weeks ago of three bears suspected of ransacking a cabin near Camp Richardson.
The California Department of Fish and Game issued a depredation permit to owners of the cabin, allowing them to set up a baited trap.
Trappers shot a mother bear near the cabin and later killed two cubs caught in the trap — a long metal tube that contained food.
The cubs were destroyed because Fish and Game does not relocate bears.
Bryant said she does not think the three bears were the ones that triggered the depredation permit.
The cabin is located along a natural corridor used by bears to get to nearby Taylor Creek, the only Tahoe creek with spawning salmon. At least 18 bears feed on salmon there, she said.
“The bears didn’t even break into the cabin,” Bryant said. “They walked in because the door had blown in. They (occupants) had food on the counter.”
Occupants of the cabin declined comment.
The BEAR League decided to hold the rally after receiving more than 400 calls from angry Tahoe residents after the killings, Bryant said.
The number of bears killed at Tahoe is on the rise as the region continues to grow.
Sixteen bears have been struck and killed by vehicles on the Tahoe Basin’s California side this year. At least six bears have died on roads on the Nevada side.
The number of bears killed at Tahoe through depredation permits will be released at a later date, Bryant said.
The BEAR League is trying to get more residents and businesses to use bear-proof garbage containers.
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The cabin is located along a natural corridor used by bears to get to nearby Taylor Creek, the only Tahoe creek with spawning salmon. At least 18 bears feed on salmon there, she said.
“The bears didn’t even break into the cabin,” Bryant said. “They walked in because the door had blown in. They (occupants) had food on the counter.”
Occupants of the cabin declined comment. >>>
This is a sad and unfortunate situation. It will continue and get worse as human habitation encroaches on natural bear habitat. I don't think the Fish and Game can be faulted for what they did. The presence of the bears in human inhabited areas meant that they needed to be killed. You can't just relocate them because all remaining bear habitat is filled to capacity with bears. To relocate the cubs would be to condemn them to a much more cruel death than being shot.
The voice of outrage must be applied to the state and county zoning commissions. There must be further regulation to restrict spread of housing in wild areas. The public must be educated and encouraged to support preservation of wildlife habitat.