Sad bear story

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Two nights ago we lost our resident bear. She was an old female who had been raiding trash cans for several years. I went behind our house to put a bag in the trash can when I saw a few people standing around what looked like a large pile of pine needles and leaves. I asked what they were doing and they said it's a dead bear. The bear had put on a great deal of weight and I would guess she weighed well over 300 LBS. She had apparently died in pain because she had been slapping big divits in the moist dirt and she had a huge wad of grass and dirt in her right hand. One of my neighbors said he had called animal control and they told him someone would come out and remove the bear. Well after dark my doorbell rang. A neighbor was there to ask if they could pull the bear down my patio to the rangers truck. I of course said yes. It took three men to drag the bear. The game ranger said he would perform the autopsey and he would let us know what killed her. I think she swallowed something sharp that punctured her stomach.

[starmac]

Dumb question here, but everybody was fine with the bear hanging out robbing trash cans for several years. What is up with that.

[ElDorado]

You might be right about something sharp, especially if she's eating garbage. It could be poison, too, I suppose. I'm no expert on bears. Is that white patch on her belly from old age?

[plmitch]

Sad to see it die that way.

[x101airborne]

Boy, I sure would like to have that pelt. Sorry for your neighborhood pet.

[wallenba]

Cooked bones, especially chicken bones can do that.

[41 mag fan]

that'd be cool to have a bear around, as long as it didn't cause problems. Had a family of foxes here that'd play with our lab out back and eat her food. I guess they went their ways though, i haven't seen them in quite awhile.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

The bear was an female, probably at least ten years old that had never attempted to hurt anyone. Her incisers were worn and she had grey hair around her muzzle. I don't know if the white hair on the underside is a sign of old age or not. I am sure that no one here would use poison. If you were caught putting out poison here you would be under the jail. They don't even want us disturbing the native plants behind our house since it is public land . This is Crasifornia don't you know.

[Chicken Thief]

Necropsy.

Autopsy is for humans.
Just saying.

[gandydancer]

sad thing. if you find out what killed her keep us posted please?? GD

[gandydancer]

Necropsy.
Autopsy is for humans.
Just saying.

Definition of AUTOPSY
1
: an examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease —called also necropsy
2
: a critical examination, evaluation, or assessment of someone or something past (just saying)
— autopsy transitive verb

[CLAYPOOL]

Well animals do die of old age, etc..My best # 1 cow (Head cow I might add) just laid down and rested her chin on the ground..Lights out..At least she was in the warm sun last winter..Not too bad of a way to go..

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Yes they do Claypool but they don't normally spend there last few minutes rending the earth.

[Dennis Eugene]

Well, when the grim reaper comes for me I'm going out fighting,scratching and rendering the earth! Dennis

[Idaho Mule]

GOPHER, sorry to hear about you losing the pet bear. That is a very nice looking bear tho. Black bears come in all colors, black, brown, blonde, red, etc... It is also very common for them to have lighter colored fur towards the bottom side as they stand naturally, and white or off white is pretty common. I would call that one a chocolate bear myself. JW

[Three44s]

Nice looking bear and a shame it was lost but barring some dangerous item in the garbage or elsewhere, she could have died from natural causes.

Last summer we had one on a trail cam. It was as red as a Red Angus Cow!


Three 44s

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I just found out what killed our bear. Examination showed she was struck by a car or truck. She had suffered severe trauma to the upper torso. Apparantly she was hit while crossing the street in front of our house and managed to make it to the open area behind us. The ranger said they would skin the bear and use the skin to make a decoy. She was hit at night by the way. She did not come around during the daylight hours.

[41 mag fan]

That sucks....I'd say i hope it damaged the persons vehicle badly, but she might of run out in front of them before they could stop in time, like deer do alot

[montana_charlie]

I just found out what killed our bear. Examination showed she was struck by a car or truck.

The ranger said they would skin the bear and use the skin to make a decoy.
A decoy for hit and run drivers?

CM

[starmac]

That sucks....I'd say i hope it damaged the persons vehicle badly, but she might of run out in front of them before they could stop in time, like deer do alot

Why in the world would you hope that, I am grateful it didn't damage (someone) in the wreck. It would take a total moron to wreck his car on purpose.

[ElDorado]

A decoy for hit and run drivers?

CM

Poachers, most likely. There's a black market for bears' gall bladders and other parts.

[bearcove]

YEH! a friend hit a moose in his truck and the only thing that kept him from getting killed was the moose's rack caught in the pipe rack. He said he'd wake up in the middle of the night spitting out hair (nightmare)