Bear Shot in London Today

[anders]

How often do bears attack people??? I think people are really quick to hit a panic button and become a hero...everyone is used to living in a bubble.

What ever happened to just leaving it alone or just monitor it...the police were probably doing just that then had a pool, to see who will get to shoot it first.

 

And given the size of the bear....hardly a threat to a blueberry

[DRIFTER_016]

I don't know why everybody seems to be afraid of these bears so much. I've had quite a few bear encounters over the years and usually all I see is their back-end as it's running away from me. A couple times I've had them look at me. And then they turn and run away.

I actually look forward to the bears moving down here. Maybe they will keep some of the people away from my fishing spots.

 

I haven't had a dangerous encounter with a bear yet.

But at some point it will happen, it has to in the areas I frequent.

I have been as close as 12" to a 600# grizz and have been woofed, jaw popped and glared at by black and grizzly bears. I have had them sniffing at my tent in the middle of the night and fighting in a ravine in the camp ground and I have come face to face with a 1000# sow at 10 yards. It is very easy to determine a bears intentions within seconds. That big old sow ignored us completely and hug out right in front of me for almost a minute before ambling off into the woods (my hand was on my spray but I never felt the need to unholster it).

Another time 2 cubs came out of the high grass 60 yards away, followed by mom!!! It took her all of 2 seconds to see me and charge 1/2 way across the back channel and make it known that I wasn't welcome there.

I backed off down the gravel bar and fished with my head on a swivel until ma and the kids left.

I have had a couple of friends charged by grizzlies and it is a frightening thing for sure.

My one buddy was out hiking with a buddy in the mountains in the Yukon. A grizz appeared 80 yards away as it crested a ridge. As soon as it saw my buddy it flat out charged looking to kill them!!! He difused the situation with a .458 slug to the vitals!!

His buddy who was unarmed and standing behind him got a gret picture of the charging bear at about 20 or 30 yards just befor it was shot.

I have also seen a small black bear beat the living snot out of some idiot that was harassing it in a campground in Alberta. This was a small 2 year old blackie about 200#. The idiot had a bull whip and whipped the bear when it entered the camp ground. The bear didn't like this much and ran over, jumped on the moron and slapped him, then left. He deserved it and it was most amuzing to watch as the bear had him on his back and slapped him left and right with open paws.

So yes bears can be dangerous and unpredictable and this little London bear could very well have advanced on the cop and just because it was little does not mean "harmless".

 

Most people are afraid of the unknown and a bear in their community is something to be feared because they don't know about bears or how to act in bear country.

[Dara]

I know people that have been attacked by black bears.

Its not something you want to experience.

 

The government really needs to decide what comes first. people or bears.

I guess they will leave that decision to when some kid is killed needlesly.

So far we have been pretty lucky, but its only a matter of time.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

what a joke.

i have bear encounters yearly both in my personal and professional life.

shooting this animal was a knee jerk reaction to an animal that posed very little threat to the public, by a public who are misinformed as to the dangers of black bears.

[Musky or Specks]

Just carry a big knife Anybody remember that story a couple years ago were the guy from Kitchener

had his dog attacked by a bear while solo canoeing near Wawa. Killed the bear with just his 8"knife. I guess loyalty goes both ways between man and dog.

[bow slayer]

Why does no one understand that this is NOT a daily occurence here in the south? Should we get hire a lion tamer just in case one shows up? How about some depth charges just in case there is a rogue Nuclear sub in the river?

Are you going to pay for the traps. How about all the people walking around in Springbank Park should we have locked them up so the bear could just wander away? I guess you haven't heard yet about the MNR funding cut that have been happening for the past 10 years or so

 

 

 

 

Again, the animal control around here doesn't have equipment to deal with anything larger than a pitbull around here, that would be many hours spent waiting for a control officer from the appearently "bear infested" north to arrive

 

 

 

 

The officer who was charged was about 40 ft away from the bear.

I guess you've never played any computer war games where a sniper covers the troops on the ground!

 

jjcanoe

 

 

the biggest problem here is believing any of the garbage that is spewed out of the mouths of the London Police Service. I have been around bears many times over my years and several were with in meters and have never been charged,they run away as fast as they can. Remember this is the same police department than ran through a neighbourhood firing 19 shots never hitting their target. If anything the people were at more of a risk from the cops firing away and then wounding a bear which ran off,from the bear itself.Another fine example of the LPD and their spin job.

Edited April 28, 2010 by bowslayer

[BillM]

The bear charged the officer? lol!!!! Sure it did!!!

 

People watch to much Discovery channel...

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

I wonder why they usually include the term "bluff" before the word "charge" when in reference to bears. Gotta love city slickers.

[Jewelbee]

So again, if the officer was not qualified to deal with the situation, where was animal control and the MNR? Who cares if it was near one school or a university., A hospital or a nursing home? What is the difference between a community up north and in the south. The only difference is 10X the voting power. Bears are cute up north but a menace in the south. Hypocritical period.

Well said!!! I have to agree. You hear of cases of deer being hit by cars and local humane societies picking them up to try to save them.(Not that i agree with it) So it's ok to save Bambi.. but not Smokey??? My point is ..Why wasn't relocation even considered? Maybe it's time to reconsider the hunt? I for one would rather NOT have the bears relocate to Southern Ontario. (I live here) I like walking in the woods with my dogs and don't have to worry about encountering bears....(YET)

[Tybo]

Is a bear still a bear, If it doesn't crap in the woods?

[Jewelbee]

Is a bear still a bear, If it doesn't crap in the woods?

Ummm...............Does this apply????????????

[jjcanoe]

I give up The officer should have waited to see if it was a charge or a bluff? GET REAL By the time they have it figured our they are being mauled by a bear... This is the first bear sighting in more than 40 years in London, I guess tomorrow there will be 40 bears coming in from the north to invade our town, Once it's a daily occurence here (next week by some of your predictions) we'll be ready for them.

 

I'm guessing Bowslayer has had a few "problems" with the London Police by the sounds of it.

 

The point here is, there are VERY FEW bear problems in the south. When they start to be more frequent there will be gear and people properly in place to deal with things in a more orderly fashion. Until then there won't be, so deal with it.

 

Is this what we need?

 

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

is black bear behaviour different in the south? are they "more aggressive"? perhaps the violence of jane and finch is spreading to the animal kingdom?

 

do you have any experience with bears, or does your lack of experience make you fear them?

Edited April 29, 2010 by Dr. Salvelinus

[misfish]

Thanks Doc.

 

 

The 2nd worse part of this whole thing, is the bear was shot/killed, without even trying to do the best for the bear.All here know I,m a hunter,but I do show respect for the animal/wildlife.Black bears are skiddich at any thing.Pots and pans banging,yelling at them.Bottom line.They are here in the south,like it or not.The blame ,think before you vote next time,although that can mean nothing as we know. Whos blowing who.

Why am I even trying,,,,,,,,,.

 

Respeck for the wildlife.THEY WERE HERE BEFORE YOU AND I.

Edited April 29, 2010 by BrianB

[Dara]

Hey, you all do realize that this cop got his spring bear.

[Roy]

For ev'ry bear that ever there was

Will gather there for certain, because

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

[FisherMike]

i would imagine a black bears behaviour is absolutely different in the south. the bear wandered from the bruce penisula into a major city with a population of almost 400,000 people. i dont think a bear would be in a normal state of mind being in that situation.

 

i really dont understand the argument here. a bear wandered into a major city, extremely close to a private school, a high school with almost 2000 students and a mental institution. like its been mentioned many many many times in this post, bears are extremely uncommon in southern ontario.

 

as for the comment of the bear only being 200lbs. think about a 100 pound pitpul then times that by two.

 

not all of us in the south are ignorant or misinformed about the dangers of wildlife. i myself have logged over a year of my life living out of a tent in bear country, from val dor quebec to the pas in manitoba. manitouwadge, geralton, wawa, dryden, timmins to name a few more. i am not a rookie when it comes to bear encounters. for people on here to insinuate that black bears are not a threat and/or dangerous is absolutely ridiculous. even a 100 lb bear is extremly able to cause massive injury to any person. ive been bluff charged, jaw popped, foot stomped, you name it.

 

lets all just keep in mind that the officers who dealt with this bear have probably never seen a bear in their lives. im sure many people on here have many better ways that this situation could have been handled, but you werent there, and neither was i.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i'm far more afraid of london area drivers... should i be able to shoot them?

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i myself have logged over a year of my life living out of a tent in bear country, from val dor quebec to the pas in manitoba. manitouwadge, geralton, wawa, dryden, timmins to name a few more.

 

i'm glad you spent a YEAR in the bush. you must be the formative expert on black bear behaviour.

[FisherMike]

1 year in the bush out of a tent, 8 years total........in the bush. im no expert, but im no rookie either. ive assisted on guided bear hunts over the last 4 years, but i guess because im from london and not the great white north, i cant know anything about bears and bear behaviour.

Edited April 29, 2010 by FisherMike

[BillM]

i would imagine a black bears behaviour is absolutely different in the south. the bear wandered from the bruce penisula into a major city with a population of almost 400,000 people. i dont think a bear would be in a normal state of mind being in that situation.

 

You really think that bear wandered down from the bruce? There is a lot of bush around London.. You think it skipped pretty much every single city, every bush, and every easy meal just to come down to London to torment a few locals?

 

People are crazy to think that there ISN'T a bear population in the Grey/Bruce, anywhere from GBay all the way down..

[Dara]

i would imagine a black bears behaviour is absolutely different in the south. the bear wandered from the bruce penisula into a major city with a population of almost 400,000 people. i dont think a bear would be in a normal state of mind being in that situation.

 

i really dont understand the argument here. a bear wandered into a major city, extremely close to a private school, a high school with almost 2000 students and a mental institution. like its been mentioned many many many times in this post, bears are extremely uncommon in southern ontario.

 

as for the comment of the bear only being 200lbs. think about a 100 pound pitpul then times that by two.

 

not all of us in the south are ignorant or misinformed about the dangers of wildlife. i myself have logged over a year of my life living out of a tent in bear country, from val dor quebec to the pas in manitoba. manitouwadge, geralton, wawa, dryden, timmins to name a few more. i am not a rookie when it comes to bear encounters. for people on here to insinuate that black bears are not a threat and/or dangerous is absolutely ridiculous. even a 100 lb bear is extremly able to cause massive injury to any person. ive been bluff charged, jaw popped, foot stomped, you name it.

 

lets all just keep in mind that the officers who dealt with this bear have probably never seen a bear in their lives. im sure many people on here have many better ways that this situation could have been handled, but you werent there, and neither was i.

 

 

The argument here is not about northern vs southern bear behaviour.

Or how used to bears the people are.

 

The deal is that we live in our own city. i am in a city of 80,000 people. We have schools and children too. What we have is "bear wise" shoved down our throats. The bears walk around our school yards constantly. We have to keep the children inside. Our garbage gets ripped apart and we get told to keep it in the house. We are not allowed to shoot the bears. We are told to live with them.

Then one single bear shows up in your town and the cops run out and shoot it. they take the easy way out that we would go to jail for, and pose for pictures like heroes.

Come up here and deal with avoiding bears every day. Have one of your best friends spend 6 months in a hospital bed after being ripped apart by one of them while taking her kids out for a walk in the vacant lot behind the house.

[cram]

Salvelinus...we get it, all of us citiots are morons.

 

btw - have you honestly never seen a black bear stomp or bluff charge?

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

1 year in the bush out of a tent, 8 years total........in the bush. im no expert, but im no rookie either. ive assisted on guided bear hunts over the last 4 years, but i guess because im from london and not the great white north, i cant know anything about bears and bear behaviour.

 

does a bear know a difference between a town of 400,000 and 80,000? does thousands of years of instincts and defense mechanisms change? c'mon.

[FisherMike]

BillM, i dont think it was mentioned that people think there isnt a bear population in the Grey/Bruce. that is where they have supposedly wandered down from.

 

as for lots of bush around london, im not sure what you consider bush, but there is definately not a lot of bush around london.