Bear Shot in London Today

[cram]

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.

 

I totally agree with you that its Bull....but, should the cops who aren't prepared for bears (and maybe had never seen one) have not err'd on the side of caution? Wouldn't they have looked more idiotic if someone got hurt?

 

And i don't care waht anyone says.....a bear walking down the street in london is weird.

[misfish]

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

 

 

You maybe on to something Cram.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

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

 

actually yes. as i said, in both my personal and professional life. what is your experience with bears?

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

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

 

 

also, i didn't say this.

but if you think a bear should be shot simply because it was in a city, then yes, you are a moron.

[FisherMike]

Dara, (i cant get the quote thing to work) when you say to me, "come up here and deal with avoiding bears everyday". i live in the woods. im from london ontario, and in london at the moment, but saturday morning im driving back up north for my 9th year. from may till almost october i live in the woods. i drive garbage out of camp to the dump where bears are everywhere every single night of the week. i work and live in bear country. the closest town of Dryden, ON is an hour and half drive from camp. there is nothing but NW ontario bush between where i live and town. so please dont try to tell me what its like to deal with bears everyday.

[cram]

also, i didn't say this.

but if you think a bear should be shot simply because it was in a city, then yes, you are a moron.

 

If the local MNR was unequipped to deal with the bear, then.....?????

[Dutchy]

Where there is one, there is for sure more. My friend in Goderich said they have been seen around there on numerous occasions.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

Dara, (i cant get the quote thing to work) when you say to me, "come up here and deal with avoiding bears everyday". i live in the woods. im from london ontario, and in london at the moment, but saturday morning im driving back up north for my 9th year. from may till almost october i live in the woods. i drive garbage out of camp to the dump where bears are everywhere every single night of the week. i work and live in bear country. the closest town of Dryden, ON is an hour and half drive from camp. there is nothing but NW ontario bush between where i live and town. so please dont try to tell me what its like to deal with bears everyday.

 

so when bears roam into dryden, are they shot?

[Jonny]

so when bears roam into dryden, are they shot?

 

When they roam into Timmins they're shot. I was present once to witness it.

[FisherMike]

Dr. Sal if you read ahead its been mentioned that london, ontario is not equipped to deal with bears. there probably hasnt been a bear in town in 40 years.

 

so to answer your question, no a bear probably isnt shot if it wanders into dryden. im guessing the MNR would use one of their many bear traps, but you should know that.

 

my buddy from school worked in manitouwadge as a bear trapper. towns that have bears have ways to deal with bears. towns that dont have bears typically dont have ways to deal with bears.

[cram]

actually yes. as i said, in both my personal and professional life. what is your experience with bears?

 

Lots of them near our cottage, and while i would say that they are totally harmless i have seen them (or one many times?) stomp its feet a bunch of times when bothered.

 

And my experience with bears is pretty limited (probably seen <25 in my life, aside from the garbage dump)

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

Lots of them near our cottage, and while i would say that they are totally harmless i have seen them (or one many times?) stomp its feet a bunch of times when bothered.

 

And my experience with bears is pretty limited (probably seen <25 in my life, aside from the garbage dump)

 

Oh really?

[Dara]

Dara, (i cant get the quote thing to work) when you say to me, "come up here and deal with avoiding bears everyday". i live in the woods. im from london ontario, and in london at the moment, but saturday morning im driving back up north for my 9th year. from may till almost october i live in the woods. i drive garbage out of camp to the dump where bears are everywhere every single night of the week. i work and live in bear country. the closest town of Dryden, ON is an hour and half drive from camp. there is nothing but NW ontario bush between where i live and town. so please dont try to tell me what its like to deal with bears everyday.

 

You're not listening.

I said they roam the school yards. You know, the same places as where the bear in london was shot. And you know what....it was right to shoot it. It should also be right to shoot them here.

And don't give me this stuff about being prepared to deal with bears. if you call about a bear sighting you are told to stay inside till it goes away. We have all of 2 traps. Bears aren't supposed to be in cities. And city people with no bear problem shouldn't write the laws on how city people with bears handle them. But they do, and thats what gets us northerners upset. So we rag on you when you deal with the problem the way that we want to but you won't let us...cause we have to learn to live with the bears that you don't want shot

[cram]

Oh really?

 

Yes. There was one that obviously learned some bad habits somewhere and was trying to bust into our shed for the garbage inside it. I was trying to scare it away.

 

Your point??? That i shouldn't have bothered it, or that you don't believe it happened?

 

My friend had one come to his cottage and false charge (or charge and stop) his window - many times. The dog was on the other side going bananas. They called the ministry who i believe removed or shot the bear.

 

So, what's your point again...?

[cram]

You're not listening.

I said they roam the school yards. You know, the same places as where the bear in london was shot. And you know what....it was right to shoot it. It should also be right to shoot them here.

And don't give me this stuff about being prepared to deal with bears. if you call about a bear sighting you are told to stay inside till it goes away. We have all of 2 traps. Bears aren't supposed to be in cities. And city people with no bear problem shouldn't write the laws on how city people with bears handle them. But they do, and thats what gets us northerners upset. So we rag on you when you deal with the problem the way that we want to but you won't let us...cause we have to learn to live with the bears that you don't want shot

 

I'm pretty sure 99% of us southerners don't know or care either way (not that we don't "care", but most people here have no idea TO care. I am outdoorsy compared to 90% of the people i know, and even I didn't know that you have bears walking through the schoolyards).. You guys are blaming the wrong people. Plus, just guessing...does your city gov't decide how to deal with bears inside the city, or is it the MNR?

Edited April 29, 2010 by cram

[Muskieman]

I heard that Bears can't run downhill... but this one certainly is.

Looks like it's going pretty fast.

 

RFS

[bow slayer]

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?

 

 

 

No sorry no "problems" with the police,I work in health care and deal with them on a daily basis(er)most are good officers. The problem I have is they are never held responsible for their actions. Case in point firing 19 bullets in a residential area at a suspect running away. Also firing bullets at a animal in an area close to schools that was posing no threats(unless of course you believe the released statement "charged at a officer")again in all my years of encountering bears one has never charged me. Believe what you want ,the world does need lemmings.

[bow slayer]

Where there is one, there is for sure more. My friend in Goderich said they have been seen around there on numerous occasions.

 

 

lets call the London Police to shoot them all and save the rainbows.

[misfish]

With all the differance,s on this thread,the bear (IMO)should of been trapped and released.

 

If you can have a snipper at 800 yards,you can have a sniper at 100 yards with a tranquilizer too.

 

Enough crap.

Edited April 29, 2010 by BrianB

[cram]

the cop should've handled that bear like a man...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUx3fZNoskQ

[danc]

Bottom line here is that those of us that live in bear country have had many encounters with them and aren't afraid of them at all. Those of you that don't live in bear coutry are influenced by the media and beleive that a bear sighting might be the last thing you see before you die. Nonsense. I've seen hundreds of bears in my day. At most I consider them a nuscience, but never a threat.

[Dara]

I'm pretty sure 99% of us southerners don't know or care either way (not that we don't "care", but most people here have no idea TO care. I am outdoorsy compared to 90% of the people i know, and even I didn't know that you have bears walking through the schoolyards).. You guys are blaming the wrong people. Plus, just guessing...does your city gov't decide how to deal with bears inside the city, or is it the MNR?

 

 

 

MNR, that is controlled by the same government that decided to take a payoff and cancel the spring bear hunt, which is basically the root of this whole problem. We went from 3 or 4 bears around in a year to something around 50.

The police won't take bear calls any more.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

Bottom line here is that those of us that live in bear country have had many encounters with them and aren't afraid of them at all. Those of you that don't live in bear coutry are influenced by the media and beleive that a bear sighting might be the last thing you see before you die. Nonsense. I've seen hundreds of bears in my day. At most I consider them a nuscience, but never a threat.

 

quoted for truth.

[irishfield]

I've only been chased ONCE, yet have been close to many. The one that chased myself, and two gals, was in Banff between the Hoodo park campground and the river. They can run down hill... they just can't stop !!! (but we could) She rolled right down into the river and then we ran up hill.. passing the cubs she was protecting on the way up. That was 1976.. oh the memories!

[bigfish1965]

There has been a massive shift in the last ten years in S. Ontario. First the beavers, then the coyotes, badgers and now bears. The moose are as far south as Guelph.

 

We have to get used to it and know that we just can't kill them as they show up. Dogs kill more people every year than bears.

We are setting ourselves up by ignoring the fact that we are creating the problem, not the animals.

We are still acting like the animals are not here and are now creating coyotes with little fear of man living right in major urban centers. Municipalities do nothing.

 

I am in the midst of a big Urban Wildlife program for Niagara. We have coyotes, badgers and beavers. We didnt have them 10 years ago....but as their population increases we are becoming a food source.

This is setting us up for confrontation. It is very simple. We must adapt before the animals do...if the coyotes and bears see us as food suppliers, things will get bad very fast.

 

The growth of these animals is far beyond anything seen before. A Niagara coyote at 75 lbs is not unusual.

 

There really needs to be a massive education campaign to teach people who don't see these animals other than on TV what to do.

 

I don't know enough about what happened in London, but I do hope the cop gets a reprimand for the trophy pose. It was a terrible kill according to the report, taking several hours. There is a difference between a hunt and having to dispatch an animal for safety. The latter should never be celebrated....ever!

 

The animals are coming back...so we might as well get used to it.