http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/200 ... 1058/rss08
a huge bear is making a nuisance of itself in Incline Village, Nevada
INCLINE VILLAGE (AP) — A really big bear is causing big problems at the Lake Tahoe community of Incline Village, Nevada wildlife officials said.
The black bear, estimated by some to be around 700 pounds, may be responsible for as much as $70,000 in damage this year, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife. It has evaded traps and special night patrols sent to look for it.
Even two bullets fired by a homeowner did little but slow him down for a couple of weeks.
“The deputies up there all say he's the biggest bear they've ever seen,” Carl Lackey, a biologist and bear expert with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said Tuesday.
“He'll walk right by a trap, he won't go in them. He's really random in where he goes. He's made it real tough to catch up with him.”
Lackey said that this summer, a homeowner armed with .44 magnum handgun confronted the bear after it broke into an Incline Village home that it had already broken into several times before.
“He shot it right between the eyes and the bullet bounced off his skull. We know that because we found it,” Lackey said. “He shot it again and hit it. We know that because there was a lot of blood, but it wasn't a mortal wound.”
Within a few weeks, the bear was back to its old antics, breaking into garages and going after trash or food in freezers.
Lackey, who has been chasing the bear for the last three years, said it has broken into 40 or 50 garages around Incline this summer alone.
Incline resident Claire Vaughan heard a crash one night and looked outside, only to witness a “huge” bear that had just knocked out a panel of her garage door. She watched as the bear later tried to open the door latch of a locked car parked outside.
“He's smart. He's super smart,” Vaughan said. “He's a big, bad boy.”
news story--700# nevada nuisance bear?
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Emily
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Re:700# bear strikes again!
http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/200 ... 9/1050/RSS
Notorious 700-pound black bear strikes again in Incline
By Jean Eick
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza
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ENLARGE
Paw prints from the bear lead into the Village Church Sunday morning.
Community Submitted Photo
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — A bear that has been causing a path of destruction all over Incline Village is now receiving prayers from a local congregation after enjoying a Thanksgiving feast over the weekend inside the church.
The Rev. Dick Randall of the Village Church in Incline Village sent out a prayer request asking his congregation to pray for the bear. The request in the e-mail said:
“Pray that this bear(s) — which have done over $70,000 plus damage to homes and now a church — is caught and relocated. Pray also that it does NOT come back to our church.”
Last week, Nevada wildlife officials tabbed the black bear to be around 700 pounds, confirming it may be responsible for as much as $70,000 in damage this year. It has evaded traps and special night patrols sent to look for it, a Nevada Department of Wildlife said.
Even two bullets fired by a homeowner did little but slow him down for a couple of weeks.
“The deputies up there all say he's the biggest bear they've ever seen,” Carl Lackey, a biologist and bear expert with NDOW, said. “He'll walk right by a trap, he won't go in them. He's really random in where he goes. He's made it real tough to catch up with him.”
Lackey said that this summer, a homeowner armed with .44 magnum handgun confronted the bear after it broke into an Incline Village home that it had already broken into several times before.
“He shot it right between the eyes and the bullet bounced off his skull. We know that because we found it,” Lackey said. “He shot it again and hit it. We know that because there was a lot of blood, but it wasn't a mortal wound.”
Within a few weeks, the bear was back to its old antics, breaking into garages and going after trash or food in freezers.
On Saturday evening, the bear made the Village Church his next victim.
The church annually prepares and distributes food boxes to those in our community in need at Thanksgiving. Residents spent most of Saturday organizing the food that was collected and preparing to be packed into boxes Sunday.
However, sometime Saturday night, the bear found a way into the church by removing the outside handle on a back door and pulling off the push bar to get inside.
Once inside, the bear found a feast and consumed 22 jars of peanut butter, opened and tasted — but did not eat — a few boxes of corn flakes. These items were all on a table waiting to be packed. Next, the bear moved into the church kitchen, where he opened the freezer.
“He proceeded into the kitchen, opened the freezer using the handle, and created no damage, except to the inside shelves, as he helped himself to a few cans of frozen orange juice and a few dozen sweet rolls,” said Helene Larson, a member of the congregation.
Larson said that the bear left with a package of Ramen Noodle soup — the package was found up the hill from the church.
Lackey, who has been chasing the bear for the last three years, said it has broken into 40 or 50 garages around Incline this summer alone.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Notorious 700-pound black bear strikes again in Incline
By Jean Eick
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza
Share on Facebook Email Print Comment
ENLARGE
Paw prints from the bear lead into the Village Church Sunday morning.
Community Submitted Photo
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — A bear that has been causing a path of destruction all over Incline Village is now receiving prayers from a local congregation after enjoying a Thanksgiving feast over the weekend inside the church.
The Rev. Dick Randall of the Village Church in Incline Village sent out a prayer request asking his congregation to pray for the bear. The request in the e-mail said:
“Pray that this bear(s) — which have done over $70,000 plus damage to homes and now a church — is caught and relocated. Pray also that it does NOT come back to our church.”
Last week, Nevada wildlife officials tabbed the black bear to be around 700 pounds, confirming it may be responsible for as much as $70,000 in damage this year. It has evaded traps and special night patrols sent to look for it, a Nevada Department of Wildlife said.
Even two bullets fired by a homeowner did little but slow him down for a couple of weeks.
“The deputies up there all say he's the biggest bear they've ever seen,” Carl Lackey, a biologist and bear expert with NDOW, said. “He'll walk right by a trap, he won't go in them. He's really random in where he goes. He's made it real tough to catch up with him.”
Lackey said that this summer, a homeowner armed with .44 magnum handgun confronted the bear after it broke into an Incline Village home that it had already broken into several times before.
“He shot it right between the eyes and the bullet bounced off his skull. We know that because we found it,” Lackey said. “He shot it again and hit it. We know that because there was a lot of blood, but it wasn't a mortal wound.”
Within a few weeks, the bear was back to its old antics, breaking into garages and going after trash or food in freezers.
On Saturday evening, the bear made the Village Church his next victim.
The church annually prepares and distributes food boxes to those in our community in need at Thanksgiving. Residents spent most of Saturday organizing the food that was collected and preparing to be packed into boxes Sunday.
However, sometime Saturday night, the bear found a way into the church by removing the outside handle on a back door and pulling off the push bar to get inside.
Once inside, the bear found a feast and consumed 22 jars of peanut butter, opened and tasted — but did not eat — a few boxes of corn flakes. These items were all on a table waiting to be packed. Next, the bear moved into the church kitchen, where he opened the freezer.
“He proceeded into the kitchen, opened the freezer using the handle, and created no damage, except to the inside shelves, as he helped himself to a few cans of frozen orange juice and a few dozen sweet rolls,” said Helene Larson, a member of the congregation.
Larson said that the bear left with a package of Ramen Noodle soup — the package was found up the hill from the church.
Lackey, who has been chasing the bear for the last three years, said it has broken into 40 or 50 garages around Incline this summer alone.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Emily
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Re: news story--700# nevada nuisance bear?
http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/200 ... 6/1050/RSS
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — After 35 years of choosing to share the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe side by side with the critters that were here long before us humans, I am ready to wave the white flag to the massive black bear who has been terrorizing our quiet, peaceful neighborhood. What started out as the usual garbage can and garage break ins, savoring tasty discarded garbage prior to a long winter's nap, has escalated to brazen door smashing, refrigerator clearing and house trashing rampages, with no end in sight.
Last fall, my neighbor came home to find our furry friend had pushed open her French doors and helped himself to some goodies she had left out on the counter. As she attempted to clean up, he returned and was only kept out by her holding her backside against the door as he pushed from the other side. He obviously was unaware of a Portuguese mother's determination to save her Costco muffins. Fortunately, neither was injured this time.
This summer, after numerous local garage door break-ins, another neighbor had presumably the same bear (common characteristic ... HUGE!) break her back door right off the hinges and had a feast with the contents of her fridge and cupboards, doing a fair amount of damage along the way. After he came back the second night for a repeat performance, I screwed some 4x8 sheets of plywood to the door frame to try to keep him from coming back again. The third night my neighbor's fiancé spent the night with a loaded 44 magnum to confront any further intrusion.
My plywood barrier proved a formidable obstacle for this hungry giant ... so he went over to the sliding glass doors and lifted them off the track. As our armed groom-to-be tip toed down the stairs to confront the massive beast, the bear started toward him. He fired one shot right between the eyes. The powerful bullet was no match for the thick skull of this giant menace as it glanced off but sent him whirling about the kitchen trashing every thing in sight. Another shot hit the bear in the shoulder and sent him scrambling out the back door.
A post-midnight call to Carl Lackey of the Nevada Department of Wildlife brought the late hour calvary only to realize they had brought the wrong breed of tracking dogs and the bear escaped into the night, wounded and now even more dangerous. The setting of bear traps in the area resulted in the capture of some smaller offspring, but “Big Bubba” wouldn't take the bait.
After 3 to 4 weeks of relative calm, yet another neighbor had a “HUGE” black bear break through both of her garage doors on successive nights. He also ransacked a few other neighbor's garages in the same week, preferred method of entry ... smash a hole big enough to crawl through. The garage door companies in the area are having a banner year!
After Friday's first good snow of the year we hoped Big Bubba and his kin had had their fill and were snuggling into a nice long hibernation and we would deal with this next year. No such luck! Now the same neighbor who went back to back with this unruly beast at the French doors had him back again. This time he wasn't as polite. He simply tore the French door off the hinges and came in for some late night snacks. In addition to ransacking the kitchen, with his purported 700 pound mass, he managed to break their new granite counters. More plywood barriers managed to keep Big Bubba out of the house the next night but he did decide to tear down the fence since they had locked the gate! The same neighbor's significant other is now arming himself and threatening to set up a blind on the roof of the house and lay in wait for his return.
Where will this story of nature's own terrorist end? Unfortunately, when a bear this large and this destructive has learned such behaviors, there is really only one alternative. Let's just hope that his demise comes soon, before we are reporting the loss something much more serious than food and property.
— Frank Cates is an Incline Village resident.
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — After 35 years of choosing to share the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe side by side with the critters that were here long before us humans, I am ready to wave the white flag to the massive black bear who has been terrorizing our quiet, peaceful neighborhood. What started out as the usual garbage can and garage break ins, savoring tasty discarded garbage prior to a long winter's nap, has escalated to brazen door smashing, refrigerator clearing and house trashing rampages, with no end in sight.
Last fall, my neighbor came home to find our furry friend had pushed open her French doors and helped himself to some goodies she had left out on the counter. As she attempted to clean up, he returned and was only kept out by her holding her backside against the door as he pushed from the other side. He obviously was unaware of a Portuguese mother's determination to save her Costco muffins. Fortunately, neither was injured this time.
This summer, after numerous local garage door break-ins, another neighbor had presumably the same bear (common characteristic ... HUGE!) break her back door right off the hinges and had a feast with the contents of her fridge and cupboards, doing a fair amount of damage along the way. After he came back the second night for a repeat performance, I screwed some 4x8 sheets of plywood to the door frame to try to keep him from coming back again. The third night my neighbor's fiancé spent the night with a loaded 44 magnum to confront any further intrusion.
My plywood barrier proved a formidable obstacle for this hungry giant ... so he went over to the sliding glass doors and lifted them off the track. As our armed groom-to-be tip toed down the stairs to confront the massive beast, the bear started toward him. He fired one shot right between the eyes. The powerful bullet was no match for the thick skull of this giant menace as it glanced off but sent him whirling about the kitchen trashing every thing in sight. Another shot hit the bear in the shoulder and sent him scrambling out the back door.
A post-midnight call to Carl Lackey of the Nevada Department of Wildlife brought the late hour calvary only to realize they had brought the wrong breed of tracking dogs and the bear escaped into the night, wounded and now even more dangerous. The setting of bear traps in the area resulted in the capture of some smaller offspring, but “Big Bubba” wouldn't take the bait.
After 3 to 4 weeks of relative calm, yet another neighbor had a “HUGE” black bear break through both of her garage doors on successive nights. He also ransacked a few other neighbor's garages in the same week, preferred method of entry ... smash a hole big enough to crawl through. The garage door companies in the area are having a banner year!
After Friday's first good snow of the year we hoped Big Bubba and his kin had had their fill and were snuggling into a nice long hibernation and we would deal with this next year. No such luck! Now the same neighbor who went back to back with this unruly beast at the French doors had him back again. This time he wasn't as polite. He simply tore the French door off the hinges and came in for some late night snacks. In addition to ransacking the kitchen, with his purported 700 pound mass, he managed to break their new granite counters. More plywood barriers managed to keep Big Bubba out of the house the next night but he did decide to tear down the fence since they had locked the gate! The same neighbor's significant other is now arming himself and threatening to set up a blind on the roof of the house and lay in wait for his return.
Where will this story of nature's own terrorist end? Unfortunately, when a bear this large and this destructive has learned such behaviors, there is really only one alternative. Let's just hope that his demise comes soon, before we are reporting the loss something much more serious than food and property.
— Frank Cates is an Incline Village resident.
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wiwalkerman
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Re: news story--700# nevada nuisance bear?
Do they ever think about telling people to call when they see it? A bear that big and the guy has been looking for it for three years??? I would be happy to bring some walkers down there to bay it up for them.
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Emily
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Re: news story--700# nevada nuisance bear?
http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/200 ... 4/1050/RSS
click for pix
Calif. wildlife officials to assist NDOW, try new tactic to capture elusive 700-pound bear
By Kevin MacMillan
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza
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ENLARGE
The elusive 700-pound black bear has broken into 40 to 50 garages this summer alone in Incline, officials have said, including this one, belonging to residents Lynn and Steve Berardo.
Bonanza File Photo
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Wildlife officials from California are joining an increasing effort locally to halt an elusive 700-pound black bear's destructive prowl throughout a North Lake Tahoe community.
A newer kind of bear trap should make its appearance this week at undisclosed locations throughout Incline: its goal — to confuse the clever bruin that reportedly has caused more than $70,000 in damage this year alone and is the subject of near-daily calls to local law enforcement and wildlife officials.
“We have an (agreement) with Cal Fish and Game to assist each other ... so we're going to set up one of their traps over here and see if that works,” said Carl Lackey, Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist. “Who knows if it will, but it looks different, it's a different color — it's worth a shot.”
NDOW and California Fish and Game for years have operated under the agreement that each assist the other when special circumstances present themselves.
Apparently, capturing the massive bear that has evaded traps and special night patrols for three years, broken into 40 or 50 garages this summer alone in Incline — and even survived a pair of .44 caliber gunshots from a homeowner — falls under the special circumstance category.
“Carl and (NDOW) have helped us out a lot the past few years with our aversion and bear awareness tactics,” said Jason Holley, a CFG wildife biologist. “Normally, we don't use these types of traps to catch bears, but we want to help. Considering the severity of the situation, and that it has been proven to cause significant damage, it's a big deal — a big, injured bear hanging around people is pretty dangerous.”
The trap is a newer design out of British Columbia, Holley said, that is square, rather than the rounded-out culvert-style trap often used to catch nuisance bears in the basin.
Holley and Lackey hope its odd shape and different color — brown — can confuse what has become a very clever bear over the years.
“The problem is this bear is very smart — he has developed what we call trap shyness,” Holley said. “They're used to the look of it and know it's bad news for them.
“Of course, there's also trap-happiness, where bears will go into traps because they know food is in there. But often times those are young males.”
Regardless of if or how the bear is caught, one thing is for sure: It already has a death sentence.
“Our policy always has been is if they're breaking into homes and garages, they are a public safety issue and they will be euthanized,” said Lackey, assuring the wildlife department's three-strike rule for nuisance bears would not apply in this instance.
click for pix
Calif. wildlife officials to assist NDOW, try new tactic to capture elusive 700-pound bear
By Kevin MacMillan
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza
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ENLARGE
The elusive 700-pound black bear has broken into 40 to 50 garages this summer alone in Incline, officials have said, including this one, belonging to residents Lynn and Steve Berardo.
Bonanza File Photo
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Wildlife officials from California are joining an increasing effort locally to halt an elusive 700-pound black bear's destructive prowl throughout a North Lake Tahoe community.
A newer kind of bear trap should make its appearance this week at undisclosed locations throughout Incline: its goal — to confuse the clever bruin that reportedly has caused more than $70,000 in damage this year alone and is the subject of near-daily calls to local law enforcement and wildlife officials.
“We have an (agreement) with Cal Fish and Game to assist each other ... so we're going to set up one of their traps over here and see if that works,” said Carl Lackey, Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist. “Who knows if it will, but it looks different, it's a different color — it's worth a shot.”
NDOW and California Fish and Game for years have operated under the agreement that each assist the other when special circumstances present themselves.
Apparently, capturing the massive bear that has evaded traps and special night patrols for three years, broken into 40 or 50 garages this summer alone in Incline — and even survived a pair of .44 caliber gunshots from a homeowner — falls under the special circumstance category.
“Carl and (NDOW) have helped us out a lot the past few years with our aversion and bear awareness tactics,” said Jason Holley, a CFG wildife biologist. “Normally, we don't use these types of traps to catch bears, but we want to help. Considering the severity of the situation, and that it has been proven to cause significant damage, it's a big deal — a big, injured bear hanging around people is pretty dangerous.”
The trap is a newer design out of British Columbia, Holley said, that is square, rather than the rounded-out culvert-style trap often used to catch nuisance bears in the basin.
Holley and Lackey hope its odd shape and different color — brown — can confuse what has become a very clever bear over the years.
“The problem is this bear is very smart — he has developed what we call trap shyness,” Holley said. “They're used to the look of it and know it's bad news for them.
“Of course, there's also trap-happiness, where bears will go into traps because they know food is in there. But often times those are young males.”
Regardless of if or how the bear is caught, one thing is for sure: It already has a death sentence.
“Our policy always has been is if they're breaking into homes and garages, they are a public safety issue and they will be euthanized,” said Lackey, assuring the wildlife department's three-strike rule for nuisance bears would not apply in this instance.
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Emily
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Re: news story--700# nevada nuisance bear?
http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/200 ... ofile=1050
700-pound bear's fate all-but determined as Tahoe officials continue search
By Kevin MacMillan
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza
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ENLARGE
This season, the 700-pound bear that wildife officials have been chasing hasn't had any trouble breaking into garages and sheds like these.
Bonanza File Photo
What do you think?
If the bear is captured, should it be killed? Let us know by voting online at www.tahoebonanza.com.
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — In her nine years running Incline Door Company, Jennifer Pranin has never seen anything like this.
“I'd say we've been getting four to six calls per week, pretty much since the springtime ... that's probably on average of five repairs a week,” said Pranin, who co-owns the Incline Village garage-door repair business with her husband, Dean. “I mean, he's not wearing one of our T-shirts or anything ... we have had people jokingly ask if he's on our payroll.”
“He” is the 700-pound black bear that wildlife officials have been chasing the past three years — a chase that has become high stakes because of the more than $70,000 in damage officials say he has caused this year alone.
Apparently, garage doors are his specialty.
“The garage break-in bear is what we call him,” said Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League. “It's so easy for him to go and just bust out those wood panels. For awhile it was because he knew there was food (in garages), but now he's so conditioned he's just breaking them down randomly now.”
Jennifer Pranin estimates her company — which has seen steady business from this particular bear's carnage since spring — brings in about $250 per service, or about $1,200 a week.
While the money is welcome during a stagnant economy, Pranin said it doesn't come without a silver lining.
“It's good news on one level, but it's not necessarily particularly how we'd like to do it,” she said.
A pre-determined future
Regardless of if or how the bear is caught, one thing is clear: It already has a death sentence.
“Our policy always has been is if they're breaking into homes and garages, they are a public safety issue and they will be euthanized,” said Carl Lackey, Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist, assuring the wildlife department's three-strike rule for nuisance bears would not apply in this instance.
But catching the bear — as has proven to be the case the past three years — isn't going to be easy, he said. And that's not being helped by certain residents in the area.
“The problem is people aren't calling us until the next day, or not at all. If they called us or the sheriff's office as it was happening, we might be able to get there in time,” Lackey said. “They'd rather see other people come out and coax the bear away, and that's when we don't want happening.”
Bryant said the league — a nonprofit bear awareness organization based in Homewood — has received several calls this year regarding the big bear.
“Often the people who call us are those who don't want to see the bear get hurt,” she said. “Of course, we can't do anything about it. We are not an enforcement agency. If we could, we would do what we could to keep the bear from getting killed, but it's pretty obvious this bear needs to be taken off the streets.”
Residents deliberately not calling NDOW presents a troubling problem, Lackey said, one that makes the wildlife department wary of publicizing where it is setting traps and surveying property.
“If I told you where we were trapping, people would probably go out and sabotage the traps,” he said. “We see it all the time.”
Bryant said no one within her organization is out sabotaging traps, and she said the league never condones the behavior.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
“We get blamed for (sabotaging) traps all the time, but we'd never tamper with anything; it's illegal,” Bryant said. “But it does happen around here with other people. There's been times in the past where we'll get private calls from people who tell us, ‘well we don't have to worry about any bears getting stuck in that trap.'”
An unlikely alternative
Earlier this week, Bryant, in an attempt to save the bear's life, offered Lackey a compromise.
“I've talked to Carl about possibly getting some collaboration going, to see if we all can out our heads together and find a sanctuary for this bear,” Bryant said. “He's obviously crossed that line, and we agree he shouldn't be out there. We don't like to kill bears, but the last thing we need is for him to be a in garage full if stuff and someone gets home and doesn't realize he's there, and he gets scared and traps her.
“But since it's so divided out there with the community on if the bear should be killed or not, if we can get this bear to a sanctuary where it's nowhere near people or homes, that would be great.”
But Lackey isn't fond of the idea.
“That's a fairy tale really is all it is, and even if we wanted to do something like that, it's not really feasible,” Lackey said. “Trying to get a (sanctuary) to accept a black bear cub, let alone a full-grown male, is just unrealistic. There's too many black bears. We just don't have an appetite to do that.”
700-pound bear's fate all-but determined as Tahoe officials continue search
By Kevin MacMillan
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza
Share on Facebook Email Print Comment
ENLARGE
This season, the 700-pound bear that wildife officials have been chasing hasn't had any trouble breaking into garages and sheds like these.
Bonanza File Photo
What do you think?
If the bear is captured, should it be killed? Let us know by voting online at www.tahoebonanza.com.
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — In her nine years running Incline Door Company, Jennifer Pranin has never seen anything like this.
“I'd say we've been getting four to six calls per week, pretty much since the springtime ... that's probably on average of five repairs a week,” said Pranin, who co-owns the Incline Village garage-door repair business with her husband, Dean. “I mean, he's not wearing one of our T-shirts or anything ... we have had people jokingly ask if he's on our payroll.”
“He” is the 700-pound black bear that wildlife officials have been chasing the past three years — a chase that has become high stakes because of the more than $70,000 in damage officials say he has caused this year alone.
Apparently, garage doors are his specialty.
“The garage break-in bear is what we call him,” said Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League. “It's so easy for him to go and just bust out those wood panels. For awhile it was because he knew there was food (in garages), but now he's so conditioned he's just breaking them down randomly now.”
Jennifer Pranin estimates her company — which has seen steady business from this particular bear's carnage since spring — brings in about $250 per service, or about $1,200 a week.
While the money is welcome during a stagnant economy, Pranin said it doesn't come without a silver lining.
“It's good news on one level, but it's not necessarily particularly how we'd like to do it,” she said.
A pre-determined future
Regardless of if or how the bear is caught, one thing is clear: It already has a death sentence.
“Our policy always has been is if they're breaking into homes and garages, they are a public safety issue and they will be euthanized,” said Carl Lackey, Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist, assuring the wildlife department's three-strike rule for nuisance bears would not apply in this instance.
But catching the bear — as has proven to be the case the past three years — isn't going to be easy, he said. And that's not being helped by certain residents in the area.
“The problem is people aren't calling us until the next day, or not at all. If they called us or the sheriff's office as it was happening, we might be able to get there in time,” Lackey said. “They'd rather see other people come out and coax the bear away, and that's when we don't want happening.”
Bryant said the league — a nonprofit bear awareness organization based in Homewood — has received several calls this year regarding the big bear.
“Often the people who call us are those who don't want to see the bear get hurt,” she said. “Of course, we can't do anything about it. We are not an enforcement agency. If we could, we would do what we could to keep the bear from getting killed, but it's pretty obvious this bear needs to be taken off the streets.”
Residents deliberately not calling NDOW presents a troubling problem, Lackey said, one that makes the wildlife department wary of publicizing where it is setting traps and surveying property.
“If I told you where we were trapping, people would probably go out and sabotage the traps,” he said. “We see it all the time.”
Bryant said no one within her organization is out sabotaging traps, and she said the league never condones the behavior.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
“We get blamed for (sabotaging) traps all the time, but we'd never tamper with anything; it's illegal,” Bryant said. “But it does happen around here with other people. There's been times in the past where we'll get private calls from people who tell us, ‘well we don't have to worry about any bears getting stuck in that trap.'”
An unlikely alternative
Earlier this week, Bryant, in an attempt to save the bear's life, offered Lackey a compromise.
“I've talked to Carl about possibly getting some collaboration going, to see if we all can out our heads together and find a sanctuary for this bear,” Bryant said. “He's obviously crossed that line, and we agree he shouldn't be out there. We don't like to kill bears, but the last thing we need is for him to be a in garage full if stuff and someone gets home and doesn't realize he's there, and he gets scared and traps her.
“But since it's so divided out there with the community on if the bear should be killed or not, if we can get this bear to a sanctuary where it's nowhere near people or homes, that would be great.”
But Lackey isn't fond of the idea.
“That's a fairy tale really is all it is, and even if we wanted to do something like that, it's not really feasible,” Lackey said. “Trying to get a (sanctuary) to accept a black bear cub, let alone a full-grown male, is just unrealistic. There's too many black bears. We just don't have an appetite to do that.”
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Emily
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Re: news story--700# nevada nuisance bear?
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-new ... ck_check=1
Officials looking for bear shot by Incline Village man
Associated Press
Posted: 12/07/2009 05:11:55 PM PST
Updated: 12/07/2009 05:11:56 PM PST
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Wildlife officials say they are looking for a bear that was apparently shot by an Incline Village man after it charged him at his house.
Officials say the man told game wardens he heard a commotion outside his home early Sunday. He says he opened his door and was charged by a black bear that was about 10 feet away.
Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy says the man shut the door, grabbed a rifle and shot the bear, which ran off. A game warden found no blood but Healy says the man was sure he hit the bear, a male estimated at 350 pounds.
Healy says the bear is not believed to pose a threat and may have died or gone somewhere to hibernate.
The bear is not the same as the one believed to weigh up to 700 pounds that has broken into several Incline Village garages.
Officials looking for bear shot by Incline Village man
Associated Press
Posted: 12/07/2009 05:11:55 PM PST
Updated: 12/07/2009 05:11:56 PM PST
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Wildlife officials say they are looking for a bear that was apparently shot by an Incline Village man after it charged him at his house.
Officials say the man told game wardens he heard a commotion outside his home early Sunday. He says he opened his door and was charged by a black bear that was about 10 feet away.
Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy says the man shut the door, grabbed a rifle and shot the bear, which ran off. A game warden found no blood but Healy says the man was sure he hit the bear, a male estimated at 350 pounds.
Healy says the bear is not believed to pose a threat and may have died or gone somewhere to hibernate.
The bear is not the same as the one believed to weigh up to 700 pounds that has broken into several Incline Village garages.
esp