From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #114 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Wednesday, June 8 2005 Volume 08 : Number 114 In this issue: Letter: Relocation not the answer to bear problem: Killer bear had cornered hiker on golf course Bear doggedly determined to get at family's pooch; Column: Bear hunting helps the economy Killer bear had cornered hiker on golf course ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 09:12:43 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Letter: Relocation not the answer to bear problem: PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal DATE: 2005.06.08 EDITION: Final SECTION: Opinion PAGE: A18 BYLINE: Brian Hammond SOURCE: The Edmonton Journal ILLUSTRATION: Photo: The Canadian Press / (Grizzly bear) NOTE: LettersEDITOR: ROY COOK, 429-5220; FAX 498-5677; e-mailletters@thejournal.canwest.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Relocation not the answer to bear problem: Animals must be taught to fear humans - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Re: "Grizzly mauls jogger to death in Canmore," The Journal, June 6. My condolences to Isabelle Dube's family. Obviously, the policy of trapping and relocating bears is not the solution to the problem. What we need is a revamped education program for both bears and people. What I propose is to put the fear of people back into bears for the bears' own safety. Animal trainers have learned that, for effective training, the "association time" for most mammals is three seconds. I suggest two-person teams be hired to hunt bears, especially around areas frequented by people. One person is armed with a whistle or bear bells and a shotgun loaded with rubber bullets, rock salt or bird shot. Their function would be to sneak up on bears, blow the whistle or ring the bells, then within three seconds shoot them in the butt with the shot gun. The second person would carry a high-powered rifle as a precaution in case the bear attacks. The ideal situation would be for one bear to experience this encounter several times over several days, especially when they are in areas where they are not wanted. Bears have to be taught that people are bad news and that close encounters must be avoided at all costs. My bet is that it wouldn't take too long before we had the smartest and healthiest bear populations in the west. Unfortunately, animal rights groups will probably oppose my proposal as cruel and inhumane. The alternative is dead bears and deceased people. Brian Hammond, Edmonton ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 09:13:05 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Killer bear had cornered hiker on golf course PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald DATE: 2005.06.08 EDITION: Final SECTION: City & Region PAGE: B1 / Front BYLINE: Deborah Tetley SOURCE: Calgary Herald ILLUSTRATION: Colour Photo: (Maria Hawkins); Colour Photo: (IsabelleDube) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Grizzly diverted into bush: Killer bear had cornered hiker on golf course - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Less than one hour before three Canmore joggers encountered a deadly grizzly, a golf course employee rescued another terrified woman from the bear's path -- then used a sprinkler system and a truck to divert it off the links and into the woods. An eyewitness said the woman was screaming, hiding behind a tree as the bear approached her menacingly. Golfer Keith McGrath's comments Tuesday contradict what government officials said the previous day; that the bear was not behaving aggressively when it returned to the townsite. "He was about 20 feet away and had her up against a tree," said McGrath, who was teeing off on SilverTip's first hole Sunday when he heard a commotion. "It was like a standoff. She was screaming, a controlled, loud scream, and the bear kept staring at her, approaching slowly." The women jogging with victim Isabelle Dube also said the animal appeared to exhibit stalking behaviour. Debate continues to rage in Canmore over whether the provincial government handled the bear's return properly, one week after it was radio-collared and flown 15 kilometres away toward Banff. One day after the attack, Dave Ealey, a spokesman for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, said the department "had no concerns about human safety" when the carnivore was seen in the town Saturday morning. He reiterated those remarks Tuesday. "Based on the behaviour of the bear when it returned to the corridor, there was nothing further we needed to do," he said, adding the grizzly remained static for several hours Sunday, feeding on lush greens. Ealey said officials did not know details of the approach on the woman as they set out to find the bear. "We're still trying to confirm the testimony of this woman," said Ealey, adding she did not give her name to the employee. But two golf course employees confirmed the incident, including Wayne Rossington, vice-president of golf operations. It was just after 1 p.m., McGrath said, when the employee rescued the woman from behind a tree. It wasn't until 1:30 p.m. that fish and wildlife officials received a call from a golf course employee reporting the grizzly sighting, Ealey said. By the time officials arrived at the golf course, the employee had already picked up the woman in a truck and chased the bear toward the hiking trail. "He drove parallel to the bear, moving it toward the northeast part of course," Ealey said, adding the employee then turned on the remote-control sprinklers. "The bear was concerned about the sprinklers and moved away." Two Fish and Wildlife officers were dispatched to the area, which is why they were so quick to arrive at the scene of the attack, Ealey said. At roughly 2:06 p.m., Dube was mauled to death by Bear 99 as she jogged with two other women. The jogging companions say the bear was bold. "The bear came towards us like he was stalking us," Maria Hawkins and Jean McAllister said in a statement Tuesday. "He was not afraid." In an interview, Hawkins called the incident "traumatic, dramatic and controversial," although she declined to say whether provincial officials acted appropriately. "I'll leave it to the wildlife officers, officials and the community at large to keep the debate out there -- as it should be," she said. "Hopefully, bear experts will review procedures." She can only speculate why Dube, a skilled athlete, would choose to climb a tree. Perhaps Dube, being an experienced climber, listened to instinct. "I don't think I could do it -- climb a lodgepole," Hawkins said. "But perhaps Isabelle did because she was a climber." Hawkins is reluctant to talk about the incident, but says it never occurred to her that Dube wasn't safe in the tree. McAllister and Hawkins ran to the clubhouse for help after backing away from the bear, just after 2 p.m. After calling 911, McAllister guided Fish and Wildlife officers to the scene, where Dube was found motionless, the bear standing over her. McAllister broke the news to Hawkins, that their running mate had been mauled to death. "I really thought she'd be safe up in the tree until we came back," Hawkins said. "We were going to get help to get the bear away so we could rescue her." Rossington, at SilverTip, said the employee, an assistant superintendent, was too distraught to comment. "He's pretty rattled by the whole situation," said Rossington, adding the bear was on the course for about 15 minutes. "Anytime you get an animal on the course it's stressful, but this time it's been traumatic." Bear 99 had returned to Canmore early Saturday morning, a week after it was relocated 15 kilometres away. Ealey said bears face a high mortality rate if moved beyond their home range. Dube, a Quebec native and competitive mountain biker, leaves behind a five-year-old daughter, Lea, and her husband since 1998, Heath McCroy. Hawkins and McAllister say mother and daughter spent a lot of time in the backcountry. "Isabelle would not have wanted this incident to deter people from continuing to have adventures in the outdoors." dtetley@theherald.canwest.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 09:13:28 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Bear doggedly determined to get at family's pooch; PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald DATE: 2005.06.08 SECTION: NovaScotia PAGE: A1 SOURCE: Staff Reporter BYLINE: Jennifer Stewart - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bear doggedly determined to get at family's pooch; Creature pawed at door, window of Musquodoboit Harbour home - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lorna George didn't think it was beary funny Monday when she discovered a large furry visitor pawing at the family dog through her screen door. In fact, Ms. George said she was downright terrified when she saw the 70-kilogram black bear standing on its hind legs, peering through the glass at her Musquodoboit Harbour home. "It was as big as a Newfoundland dog or bigger," Ms. George said in an interview Tuesday. "It was quite a size." She said she first spotted the animal lumbering across her back deck at about 4:30 p.m. It knocked over a lawn chair and sniffed around the window before she kicked the door and it wandered off into the woods. "I said, 'Oh well, that probably did it, it won't come back.' " But about a half-hour later, Ms. George said, her cocker spaniel, Mickey, started barking hysterically at the back door. "I heard him going ballistic, clawing and digging," she said. "So I went in to see what he was doing and the bear was clawing at the window, trying to get at the dog." She said the bear tore the screen, then reared up on its hind legs, reaching its full height of almost two metres. Not knowing what else to do, Ms. George called 911. She told the operator what was happening and a short time later the RCMP arrived at her home on Highway 7, where she has lived with her husband for close to 25 years. By then, Ms. George said, the bear was on the side of the house near their boat. "It was just over there eating grass, like it owned the place, you know? Not bothering anything, just like 'This is my place.' " RCMP spokesman Const. Joe Taplin said in a release that officers from the Musquodoboit Harbour detachment contacted the Natural Resources Department, which also sent someone out to Ms. George's home. When the animal spotted the crowd of people, Ms. George said, it slowly turned toward the trees and walked off. The officers followed a fair distance behind, their guns drawn. "They told me to go back in the house, that I was going to hear a shot," she said. "They were going to try to stun it, I guess, I don't know exactly what they were up to." But Ms. George said she never heard a shot. She said it turned out the bear managed to hide from the group in the thick woods. "They could hear it growling, it was fairly close to them," Ms. George said. "They could smell it, like this bad, wild smell." The group did find the animal's den - a flattened patch of leaves and brush beside a huge fallen tree not far from Ms. George's yard. She said the officers left a short time later, saying they had two other bear sightings to check out. Indeed, there were four more unexpected bear visits reported by residents in a quiet, heavily wooded Hammonds Plains neighbourhood. At about 9 p.m., residents in the Slate Drive area of the White Hills subdivision began calling the RCMP about a bear rummaging through garbage cans and knocking over green bins. Only three residents were home Tuesday afternoon, none of whom had seen the bear. But one woman at 105 Slate Dr. said there was evidence something had been nosing around her yard. "Something knocked over our green bin last night but we didn't know what it was," she said. When told it could have been a bear, she replied: "Great, and I went outside to get the mail last night." Two other houses on the street showed signs the bear might have paid a visit. Residents at 255 Slate, where food scraps still littered the gravel driveway, had used a bungee cord to secure the lid of their green bin. The green bin at 112 Slate was still tipped over, with soggy cardboard spilled onto the ground. Musquodoboit Harbour and Hammonds Plains are the second and third neighbourhoods in Halifax Regional Municipality in which bears have been spotted in the past two weeks. On May 24, residents of a Dartmouth neighbourhood near Shubie Park reported a small black bear digging through their garbage. Jenny Costelo, a Natural Resources wildlife technician who was consulted on earlier sightings, could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. Ms. George said she was scared but not surprised to see the bear in her backyard Monday. She said there was another bear that tried to climb into their pickup truck almost 10 years ago. "We had a cougar there in the backyard last Wednesday," she added. "I had a coyote sitting up in the back and about six rabbits. It's like a wildlife farm up here." BEWARE OF BEARS If you spot a black bear: Keep calm. Back away slowly while keeping an eye on the bear. Do not run. If you see a bear before it sees you, stop and retreat. If possible, let the bear catch your scent by moving upwind. If the bear is more than 100 metres away, make enough noise for it to become aware of you. Talk in a calm, authoritative voice. Leave an article of clothing behind so the bear is distracted and can recognize the scent is from a human. If you come across an adult bear or a female with young, act non-threatening. Do not make sudden movements or direct eye contact. Never get between a female and her cubs. If a bear should attack, do not play dead. If there is no way to safely avoid the attack, act aggressively by shouting, waving your arms and throwing sticks or rocks. From the Natural Resources Department website, www.gov.ns.ca/natr/wildlife. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 09:14:37 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Column: Bear hunting helps the economy PUBLICATION: WINNIPEG FREE PRESS DATE: 2005.06.08 PAGE: A15 SECTION: Focus BYLINE: Freelance Writer Peter Schroedter - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bear hunting helps the economy - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE Winnipeg Humane Society deserves a special commendation for its good works, especially this year considering the spring bear hunting season is over and the society dispensed with its usual bear hunt protest. Hunting is not only an integral part of game management but also a critical component in the struggle to achieve a sustainable rural economic base as farm profits continue to shrivel. It doesn't take a degree in economics to understand that without alternative economic opportunities even more people will be forced to leave the land. To get an idea of the important economic role bear hunting plays in this province it has to be noted that over the last three years there have been 3,200 bear licences issued annually. Of those 1,900 have been sold to non-resident hunters. These hunters have to hire an outfitter to hunt bear in this province. It costs non-residents anywhere from $1,800 to $3,000 to hunt bear in this province. With the average non-resident bear hunt costing $2,400 this rural business activity injects $4.56 million into Manitoba's rural economy. This is a massive amount of money in an economy where a few thousand dollars can make the difference between holding on and having to leave the land. In addition to this there are 1,300 resident licences issued and they too add their economic contribution to rural coffers. Resident hunters don't spend nearly as much as the tourist hunter, but they do contribute. Compare those numbers to what has happened in Ontario where the spring bear hunt was banned several years ago. The province now has to spend millions annually to control nuisance bears. The sad truth is just as many bears are being killed as when Ontario allowed a spring bear hunt. The only difference is that now the Ontario tax payers have to pay professionals hunters to kill the bears instead of charging non-resident hunters for the privilege. Ontario's case is an example of why the biologists should remain in charge of game management decisions. Once the decisions become politicized, science and logic are retired from the discussion. Biologists understand that where humans exist they are the alpha-predator species, whether they hunt or not. In fact the non-hunting human probably kills more animals indirectly than all hunters combined through habitat destruction alone. As the top predator we have a responsibility to manage the game populations so that they remain in balance with the environment. The argument that bear hunting is not sustainable has been proven wrong over the last 20 years. There are many areas where bear hunting has increased populations. The fact that large male bears are the only predators that regularly kill bear cubs is not to be underestimated. This fact alone should dissolve the Disney World lenses through which many urbanites prefer to view nature. The truth is that Nature in the raw is not cute, cruel or kind, it just is. The morality of hunting in general is the point on which the bear hunt question turns from an economic issue into a purely emotional debate. Which then raises a question about the morality of the majority, non-hunting urban population, imposing its morals on a rural minority. And even here the anti-hunting urban majority seems to apply different standards to different rural populations. It seems acceptable for any aboriginal person to hunt but non-aboriginal people who hunt are frowned upon as blood-thirsty rednecks. For many rural folk, and like- minded urban people, hunting is an important and deeply ingrained cultural activity that defines who they are and where they fit into the ecosystem. People don't "need" to hunt any more than they "need" pet cats or dogs. And just as pets satisfy an emotional need for some people, hunting satisfies another need in others. To say one is more correct than the other is to stand firmly on a very thin philosophical line. Which brings us back to the Winnipeg Humane Society. The society's primary function is to manage the city's surplus pet population and they do a good job. They do their job within the moral framework of the society they serve. Perhaps the society's silence on the bear hunt this year indicates a new maturity in the urban view of humans and their environment. I'd like to think they understand and are broadminded enough to accept that hunting is as important as neutering. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 09:15:02 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Killer bear had cornered hiker on golf course PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald DATE: 2005.06.08 EDITION: Final SECTION: City & Region PAGE: B1 / Front BYLINE: Deborah Tetley SOURCE: Calgary Herald ILLUSTRATION: Colour Photo: (Maria Hawkins); Colour Photo: (IsabelleDube) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Grizzly diverted into bush: Killer bear had cornered hiker on golf course - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Less than one hour before three Canmore joggers encountered a deadly grizzly, a golf course employee rescued another terrified woman from the bear's path -- then used a sprinkler system and a truck to divert it off the links and into the woods. An eyewitness said the woman was screaming, hiding behind a tree as the bear approached her menacingly. Golfer Keith McGrath's comments Tuesday contradict what government officials said the previous day; that the bear was not behaving aggressively when it returned to the townsite. "He was about 20 feet away and had her up against a tree," said McGrath, who was teeing off on SilverTip's first hole Sunday when he heard a commotion. "It was like a standoff. She was screaming, a controlled, loud scream, and the bear kept staring at her, approaching slowly." The women jogging with victim Isabelle Dube also said the animal appeared to exhibit stalking behaviour. Debate continues to rage in Canmore over whether the provincial government handled the bear's return properly, one week after it was radio-collared and flown 15 kilometres away toward Banff. One day after the attack, Dave Ealey, a spokesman for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, said the department "had no concerns about human safety" when the carnivore was seen in the town Saturday morning. He reiterated those remarks Tuesday. "Based on the behaviour of the bear when it returned to the corridor, there was nothing further we needed to do," he said, adding the grizzly remained static for several hours Sunday, feeding on lush greens. Ealey said officials did not know details of the approach on the woman as they set out to find the bear. "We're still trying to confirm the testimony of this woman," said Ealey, adding she did not give her name to the employee. But two golf course employees confirmed the incident, including Wayne Rossington, vice-president of golf operations. It was just after 1 p.m., McGrath said, when the employee rescued the woman from behind a tree. It wasn't until 1:30 p.m. that fish and wildlife officials received a call from a golf course employee reporting the grizzly sighting, Ealey said. By the time officials arrived at the golf course, the employee had already picked up the woman in a truck and chased the bear toward the hiking trail. "He drove parallel to the bear, moving it toward the northeast part of course," Ealey said, adding the employee then turned on the remote-control sprinklers. "The bear was concerned about the sprinklers and moved away." Two Fish and Wildlife officers were dispatched to the area, which is why they were so quick to arrive at the scene of the attack, Ealey said. At roughly 2:06 p.m., Dube was mauled to death by Bear 99 as she jogged with two other women. The jogging companions say the bear was bold. "The bear came towards us like he was stalking us," Maria Hawkins and Jean McAllister said in a statement Tuesday. "He was not afraid." In an interview, Hawkins called the incident "traumatic, dramatic and controversial," although she declined to say whether provincial officials acted appropriately. "I'll leave it to the wildlife officers, officials and the community at large to keep the debate out there -- as it should be," she said. "Hopefully, bear experts will review procedures." She can only speculate why Dube, a skilled athlete, would choose to climb a tree. Perhaps Dube, being an experienced climber, listened to instinct. "I don't think I could do it -- climb a lodgepole," Hawkins said. "But perhaps Isabelle did because she was a climber." Hawkins is reluctant to talk about the incident, but says it never occurred to her that Dube wasn't safe in the tree. McAllister and Hawkins ran to the clubhouse for help after backing away from the bear, just after 2 p.m. After calling 911, McAllister guided Fish and Wildlife officers to the scene, where Dube was found motionless, the bear standing over her. McAllister broke the news to Hawkins, that their running mate had been mauled to death. "I really thought she'd be safe up in the tree until we came back," Hawkins said. "We were going to get help to get the bear away so we could rescue her." Rossington, at SilverTip, said the employee, an assistant superintendent, was too distraught to comment. "He's pretty rattled by the whole situation," said Rossington, adding the bear was on the course for about 15 minutes. "Anytime you get an animal on the course it's stressful, but this time it's been traumatic." Bear 99 had returned to Canmore early Saturday morning, a week after it was relocated 15 kilometres away. Ealey said bears face a high mortality rate if moved beyond their home range. Dube, a Quebec native and competitive mountain biker, leaves behind a five-year-old daughter, Lea, and her husband since 1998, Heath McCroy. Hawkins and McAllister say mother and daughter spent a lot of time in the backcountry. "Isabelle would not have wanted this incident to deter people from continuing to have adventures in the outdoors." dtetley@theherald.canwest.com ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #114 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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