Newton, Mass. cops kill a bear hiding in a tree.

[TheCowsCameHome]

Newton is a suburb of Boston.

Lazy Sunday morning in June, and they've got nothing better to do than kill a black bear.

I suppose they'll demand medals for taking heroic action.

http://www.boston.com/news/source/2013/06/police_fatally.html

Be sure to read the comments.

This is the kind of story that makes me want to throw up.

[KansDem]

1. Maybe it gave them a dehumanizing stare?

I understand that really pisses off cops...

[Orrex]

2. Forgive me, but I'm not an animal control expert.

What else might they have done? The article indicates that two tranquilizer darts failed to subdue the bear.

What should have been the next step?

[premium]

4. Cops did the right thing,

don't know the history of this bear, but if a bear keeps coming back after being relocated, USFS policy is to put them down because they are a menace to humans.

[Orrex]

11. Thanks.

I wondered if I was missing something obvious to a more bear-savvy reader.

[premium]

3. I don't know the history of this bear,

but during my career as a USFS Ranger, I was called upon to shoot and kill a bear 2 different times, these particular bears had been captured in neighborhoods twice and relocated and then returned again to the neighborhoods.

We would tranq. them, tag them, and relocate them, third time, we would put them down as a menace, sounds cruel, but that's just the way it is.

[onehandle]

5. Up to 50,000 bears are killed in the U.S. by hunters each year.

Because. Y'know. Freedom.

I bet every single one was 'coming right at them.'

[Brickbat]

8. Good eating on a bear.

[premium]

9. If cooked correctly, bear meat, like venison,

is delicious.

[Brickbat]

10. Yes. You have to skin and clean it quickly, too, to get the fat out as soon as possible.

But done right, there's nothing like it.

[1-Old-Man]

13. It is my understanding that bear meat is the leading cause of trichinosis in the US

Of course it used to be swine - 100 years ago - but it is my understanding that the eating of bear meat is essentially the only source of trichinosis in the US, and had been for a long time. Apparently many people undercook bear meat, thinking of it as a 'red meat' when in fact it is a lot more like pork than it is like beef, at least in how it should be prepared.

[Brickbat]

6. Unfortunate, but not much else to be done.

[FarCenter]

7. From last June "Massachusetts Black Bear Population Rising 8% Per Year"

BOSTON (CBS) – If it seems like there are more black bears wandering into suburban neighborhoods in central and eastern areas of Massachusetts this year, it’s because there are.

The state’s bear population has been rising 8% per year since the 1970?s.

The young male bears are striking out on their own, while the older male bears are out looking for love.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/06/18/massachusetts-black-bear-population-rising-8-per-year/

Males looking for love often get into trouble.

The 8% rise annually is in spite of hunters taking 5 to 7% annually.

[sylvanus]

12. Last year in Colorado this happened with different result

Maybe Mass. cops aren't as used to dealing with wildlife.
It is a shame however.

[1-Old-Man]

14. Oh ... I don't think a Bear climbs a tree to hide, they climb them to escape.

[Jenoch]

15. The cops were in a no win situation.

If they do nothing and the bear wanders off on its own and does not bother anyone, that is the best outcome. If the cops do nothing and the bear wanders into somebody's garage looking for food and attacks the homeowner, well then the cops are idiots.