One Very Smart Bear

6/9/2010

For the past month we have a had a problem with a bear coming in and out of camp. He would come in for a couple of days and then disappear for two or three days. He always seemed to disappear when the rangers came up to try and catch him. This time he was not so lucky, or maybe he was. The rangers came up and set snares to try and and catch him. When I say snares, I am talking about a cable that wraps around his foot. It does not hurt the bear in any way. It simply keeps him in one location so the ranger can dart him. The next step is to dart him with a tranquilizer so he will be under for a few hours. The ranger then proceeds to pull a tooth, tag him, weigh him, and several other procedures. The idea is to give the bear a horrible experience so it does not like people. When the bear wakes up from this ordeal it will want to stay as far away from us as possible. Hopefully, it will help save a bears life. To finish the story, the bear fell for the bait and was caught in the snare. While the ranger was getting the dart ready, the bear got loose. The ranger who caught him has been working with bears for over 22 years. He said in all his years he has never had a bear get out of one of the snares. We knew this bear was smart. So, the saga continues. We are hoping it was such a devastating experience that he will disappear and move on to another mountain top. I will keep you posted.

Pat Morgan

6/9/2010 02:30:22 am

Wow - that is one determined bear! Considering that you folks have really been working hard to convince him that this is not where he wants to live, I wonder what is keeping him coming back?

Pat N. link

6/9/2010 03:11:51 am

Smart bear, indeed! This bear,like people, obviously loves LeConte.

Tom K

6/9/2010 09:46:14 am

Have there been any bears tranqued and tagged at LeConte since 505 last summer?

As for escaping a snare. . .How did the bear do it? Was it simply a matter of outpowering it or was the method particularly clever? Any blood on the snare?

Ron Adams

6/9/2010 11:18:23 am

I wonder the same thing Pat Morgan was wondering; what keeps this bear coming back? If he is not getting food, then what is the attraction? You guys have been running at him and throwing rocks.......why does he keep coming back? I do wonder.....

jason

6/10/2010 03:29:55 am

it sounds like someone has fed that bear at some point and time. i hope you guys can catch him and get the data needed on him. wildlife is called wildlife for a reason. dont feed the wildlife! good luck

Clarence

6/10/2010 03:52:29 am

Bears are a curious but cautious critter. With estimates from 1500-1750 bear in the park (2 per square mile), they are not uncommon. If you have not seen a bear in your travels in the park, chances are VERY good a bear has seen YOU. Look up. Our bears like trees. They climb very well and make them their home. It's getting close to mating season (July). This bear has probably claimed this area as his. The smells and activity on what he considers HIS turf has probably raised his curiosity. Bears are quick learners. If he had been fed, he would probably be approaching people directly. If he's found a good natural food source, he'll stick around until it's exhausted. Making him uncomfortable is the key to moving him along. And yes, a once fed bear is a dead bear.

High On LeConte

6/11/2010 01:13:14 am

Tom, we are not sure how he got out of the snare. He is very smart bear. There was no blood on the snare and the Ranger assured me that he was not harmed. The snare is a cable system that just wraps around his paw. It does not cut into him.

Bill Yeadon

6/11/2010 03:26:30 am

Sounds like Yogi Bear "smarter than the average bear, eh BooBoo?

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One Very Smart Bear

LeConte Lodge

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