another bear killed because of stupid humans - grrrrrrrrrrrr

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/28 ... etail.html

if people don't know how to camp in bear country and cause a bear to be killed because of that, maybe they should be trapped and killed, too. Sorry but this really ticks me off

This was a problem bear. He had to be put down.

How could you possibly know this was a problem bear. In the past when bear's have attached kids head's it is because of the gel then use on their hair and yes, stupid humans cause bears to be put down. If you are in the mountains you should not be using sweet toothpaste, deodorant or hair stuff. I don't know if this kid was but chances are good and what irks me the most is that the frickin media covers the bear but says nothing about what this kids was doing that might have caused this attach. Bears do not just randomly attach people for no reason. They are only looking for food.

Whew...that felt good to get that off my chest.

how we love to blame the victim.......ya know....people have been known to do everything right and still a bear will attack. I never go camping in the woods without a gun, and if a bear attacked my kid I would shoot it.....end of story. Even if the kid was stupid and wore hair gel or brushed his teeth with the wrong stuff.....I would still kill the bear....my kid is more important than a bear.....and once a bear has attacked a human, has shown no fear of humans but rummages through a campsite with people present, then that bear is a danger to others.

Yes I feel badly when a wild animal has to be put down because it attacked a human, after all the bear doesn't really understand that humans aren't just another animal. But people do....and people will protect their own. That is as much survival of the fittest as letting the bear maul a child.

archer wrote: how we love to blame the victim.......ya know....people have been known to do everything right and still a bear will attack. I never go camping in the woods without a gun, and if a bear attacked my kid I would shoot it.....end of story. Even if the kid was stupid and wore hair gel or brushed his teeth with the wrong stuff.....I would still kill the bear....my kid is more important than a bear.....and once a bear has attacked a human, has shown no fear of humans but rummages through a campsite with people present, then that bear is a danger to others.

Yes I feel badly when a wild animal has to be put down because it attacked a human, after all the bear doesn't really understand that humans aren't just another animal. But people do....and people will protect their own. That is as much survival of the fittest as letting the bear maul a child.

For once, I agree with you. If it were up to some people, they would create laws to keep all humans out of the woods and no camping unless their bags were gone through to see what they brush their teeth with or what kind of shampoo they use. This is a massive country and animals and humans will come into contact. More deer are killed every year by cars than anything else. Does that mean we should all stop driving? Stupid humans! And why does the death of a bear anger people more than a deer or elk that gets hit? Is it more important of an animal? Maybe we should ban cars where any deer might cross the road? Or put a speed limit of 10 mph there? Stupid humans!

My sister & I had this argument once, many years ago. She wanted me to take her camping for the 4th of July weekend on some property she’d bought near Tories Peak and she’d never camped outside of civilized campgrounds in Texas before, much less in bear country and they were having a lot of bear incidents in that area that summer. I was game but picked up one of DOW’s fliers on camping in bear country to educate her (knowing she wasn’t going to take my word alone about precautions). Ultimately, I didn’t take her because she thought the precautions were stupid and wouldn’t agree to them. My truck, my gear and perhaps my ass would be in danger because she thought the precautions were too much trouble.

Yeah, I’d be tempted to shoot a bear that attacked my kid too but let’s be real here.

The bear had gotten into a cooler at the campsite and had eaten some food before he stuck his head into the tent and chomped on the 13-year-old boy’s leg, Hampton said.

<snip>

There were a lot of tents and people in the area at the time of the attack.
About 700 to 1,000 people participate in the jamboree, an annual gathering of bow hunting enthusiasts, said Rose Ashurst, vice chairman of public relations for the Colorado Bow Hunters Association. She said she had heard reports of a bear tearing up and ransacking empty tents earlier in the week but no one had been hurt before.

If you’re going to camp in bear country, the responsible thing to do is not attract them. To do otherwise is not safe for humans or bears but it’s a pretty good bet that the bear was finding good pickings at that jamboree. In that sense, it makes perfect sense to “blame the victim” – maybe that specific kid didn’t do anything to attract the bear but people were not being careful, so the kid got hurt and the bear got killed.

Most camp sites west of 1-25 are in bear country. Bears that learn that people have food routinely visit camp sites, picnic areas and resorts in hopes of find¬ing an easy meal. If you want to avoid problems for yourself and the bears, make sure there’s nothing to attract bears to your camp.

Stash Your Trash. Use bear-proof containers when available. If they’re full, double bag trash and lock it in your trunk or RV. Never leave trash outside.

Store Attractants Safely. Store food, beverages and toiletries in air tight containers and lock in your trunk. Many bears have discovered that coolers, bags and boxes are full of food; never leave them in your tent or anywhere a bear could see, smell or reach.

Keep a Clean Camp. Bears are attracted to odors of all kinds and will investigate anything interesting in hopes of finding food.

Keep a Clean Tent. Don’t bring anything with an odor into your tent—that includes all foods, bever¬ages, scented toiletries, gum, toothpaste, sunscreen, candles, and insect repellant. Don’t sleep in the clothes you cooked in; store them with your food.

Lock RVs and Vehicles. Close windows and lock your vehicle and RV when you leave your camp site and at night before you go to sleep.

Really, you are mad that they killed the bear after it attacked a sleeping boy...

I will have to say I am a huge animal lover but if the kid was asleep how could he provoke the bear. The hair gel comment at least in my mind is stupid. Maybe it was the insect repellent he was wearing or the soap he washed his hands with who cares.

First off I have no kids but if I did like the above poster said I would have shot it. I have lived in Colorado all my life and in the mountains for to many to count and should an animal attack me or mine human or not I would have no problem shooting them.

I enjoy nothing more than when I get to see some of these big predators come through my yard and or when I am out camping but an unprovoked is exactly that.

Yes, humans may of made this bear less scared to be around us as we leave food out and the sorts but we are all to blame for that should we all move back to town now and leave the wilderness 100% wild and let no one in?

The fact is that animal encounters are going to happen, if you are out in the woods and see people doing wrong educate them. They might not listen but at least you gave it a try.

I am not one for telling a fib but I will say that a few times we saw people leaving crap all over their camping area. Unless they got their before us I have now problem telling them a little white lie saying that a bear had come through the camp the night/day before.

Most time they say oh my god really and the start putting things away in proper places.

I guess that would be why I am still a "HappyCamper" I believe there is good in everyone and that many people just forget when they come to the mountains.

Ok, rant done.

the problem with humans is....well....they are only human.

the problem with bears is.....well....they act like bears.

sometimes the two mix in a way that is bad for both.....placing blame on the kid is wrong, blaming the bear is wrong......it was an unfortunate incident, I'm glad the kid survived, and I have no problem with the decision to put the bear down once it had attacked and shown no fear of an occupied camping area. We have a neighborhood bear....he rummages through the neighborhood, occasionally finds something good.... but usually not, as we are all very careful about what we leave out. He is more scared of us than we are of him, and when he sees or hears a human or dog he leaves. That is good......that is usually what a bear will normally do.

did you READ the story???? it said the bear was attracted to FOOD IN THE ICE CHEST. Stupid humans camping in bear country