Bear caught, tagged near Stateline to be released
By Chanelle Bessette, Reno Gazette-Journal
After capturing a black bear near Stateline the Nevada Department of Wildlife brought the bear to their Reno offices on Friday. After tranquilizing the bear, NDOW employees processed the bear for ear tags and an inner lip tattoo for future tracking purposes.
The male bear is estimated to be four or five years old and weighs between 400 and 450 pounds. His size is approximately 100 pounds heavier than a typical male black bear of his age. The bear was deemed a potential “conflict bear” after it had wandered into an urban area, meaning that it was a potential threat to humans.
With the warm weather, bears are starting to wake up from hibernation, and many are wandering too close to human populations.
So now as far as NDOW is concerned a bear wandering through that bear’s environment is considered a potential “conflict bear”? And that by virtue of wandering through a neighborhood it’s a big enough risk to we human interlopers that warrant it be trapped,tagged and receive a strike in NDOW’s three strike policy? That just defies reason or logic!
It is dangerous and stupid to think that part of the bears’ territory is our neighborhoods. When I moved here 13 years ago, you would rarely see them in town. Now they are everywhere and have absolutely no natural fear of humans. Unless you want to pack your crap up and move away, and bulldoze the entire city, you need to realize that your complacency and belief that the bears belong here is the big problem. They aren’t here for your enjoyment and photo ops. There is plenty of wild for them to forage in, why is it an issue moving them back where they belong and are healthier? I LOVE the bears, I don’t want to see another one hit by a car, or put down because they think we pose no threat.
Yes, the bears are back in town! Talk to your neighbors about keeping their trash indoors untill garbage pick up day, removing food from their cars and not leaving pet food out that is easilly accseable to bears, the racoons or coyotes.
Call the Bear Leaguge at 525-paws, So Tahoe Refuse at 541-5105 or Clean Tahoe at 544-4210 concerning bears and our relationship with them. Bears and other animals are looking for food and they can really smell it out.
Getting into the trash, cars and houses, your yards and storage sheds.
For more info call the above numbers and save a bears life and maybe saving you a big mess in your yard and the neighbors along with property damage to your place. OLS
Thx OLS. Newcomers need to get bear info when they arrive. Many of them think they don’t need bear info, & end up trashing the neighborhoods – especially weekenders. Bear info bulletins should be sent to all new residents & posted in every vacation rental.
It’s the same ole story. LOCALS and tourists don’t secure their trash or dog food or they leave food in the car and the bears come to the buffet. Until the local governments get really serious about bear boxes, fines and even jail time, people will continue to leave bear food around. In my neighborhood, 3 long time residents had their garages and cars broken into because they won’t keep food out of them. Wake up !