Was an 85-year-old woman a victim of Disneyitis? She was born only two years after the release of the first Mickey Mouse cartoon. Much like Timothy Treadwell, she appears to be a victim of severe anthropomorphism (attributing human-like traits to animals). In this case, she was feeding several black bears. One of them eventually broke into her house and killed her . From missoulian.com . . .
KALISPELL – The elderly woman attacked by a black bear inside her home west of Kalispell over the weekend has died from injuries she sustained in the incident.
The Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks personel stated the problem well:
“This is a very unfortunate situation,” FWP Warden Capt. Lee Anderson said. “These bears were extremely habituated and food-conditioned, and they posed a danger to the people who live in the area.
“The last thing we wanted to do is to kill these bears. But we had no choice because of the danger they pose to local residents.”
Anderson and other FWP officials made the comments before Paschke’s death was announced. The woman had not been identified prior to Thursday.
Anderson said FWP does not know how many bears were food-conditioned at the woman’s residence.
Feeding of bears is against the law in Montana. It’s bad for bears, because it makes them dependent, unable to forage for themselves. When they become dependent on taking food from people, they lose all respect (read: fear) for people and become more dangerous.
Given the self-created danger of the situation, almost any gun could have been used to stop this attack, but next to having a gun when needed, the most important thing is having the willingness to use it. Bears are always armed and potentially dangerous. Using those weapons is part of their nature.
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch
ED: A federal court has just formalized an agreement between conservationists and Montana state officials designating seven “grizzly bear security zones” encompassing 22,007 acres within Stillwater and Coal Creek state forests. It stipulates that
- Motorized activities will be prohibited during spring, summer, and fall periods when grizzlies are actively using the landscape;
- No permanent road construction will be allowed; and
- Any temporary roads must be reclaimed to prevent use by vehicles, including off-road vehicles.
Just thought you’d like to know.