Key Peninsula (Washington) bear
Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:58 pm
http://www.gateline.com/104/story/1877.html
Lakebay man encounters black bear in backyard
Animal sightings increase during the summer months
Ashley Coats
of the Gateway
Published: 03:53PM July 16th, 2008
Click here to find out more!
Sightings and encounters with black bears are becoming more frequent as the summer continues. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife “averages two black bear sightings a day in Piece County.”
Scott Wood of Lakebay and his three young daughters had a recent encounter with a bear that resulted in the bear’s death.
“We had forgotten the back door was open a bit,” Wood said. “(The bear) started coming towards the house, and the next thing I know, he was trying to get into the house.”
The 400-pound bear had come out of the woods at the back of Wood’s property and was digging around in a dog kennel, where Wood keeps the family’s garbage. Wood’s daughter had just thrown out muffins, which Wood thinks drew the bear to his doorstep.
“The only reason we see bears is because they forage for food,” said Philip Johnson, a Pierce County Fish and Wildlife Officer. “Think of a bear as a big pig with fur.”
Wood thought he scared the bear away by making noise, because the bear turned away from the home. Wood said he’s scared many bears off his property by clapping and yelling.
But after a few minutes, the bear turned back toward the home.
“I like animals, and we’ve had bears here before,” Wood said. “This bear wasn’t just going to take off.”
Wood owns an antique rifle that was passed down from his father. He asked one of his daughters to fetch the gun as soon as he saw the bear was returning to his back door.
“This was an awful big bear,” Wood said. “If he wanted to, he could have seriously killed one of my kids.”
Woods shot the bear in the chest, then called 9-1-1. Johnson responded with a deputy from the Peninsula Detachment of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
“I did not doubt (Wood’s) story in any way,” Johnson said. “This is just an average guy with a very scary encounter. An unusual one, too.”
When Johnson and the deputy arrived at Wood’s home, they couldn’t see the bear, but they heard it moving in nearby blackberry bushes.
Due to the bear’s proximity to local residents and its injury, Johnson decided to “dispatch him as quickly and as humanly as possible.”
“In the five years I’ve worked in the department, the two times I’ve shot a bear, it’s because it was injured and considered dangerous,” Johnson said. “In a high population area, the liability there is too great to play with. We have no choice.”
The adult, male black bear died at the scene and was removed by the deputy, Johnson and Wood.
Johnson said the WDFW traps bears and transports them five miles away without causing any physical harm or using any drugs about 95 percent of the time.
Wood and his family were not harmed.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Wood said.
With the amount of construction on the peninsulas, bear encounters could become more of a common occurrence, because their habitats are becoming closer to humans, Johnson said.
“As time goes by, wildlife learns to cohabitate with humans,” he said. “Just because you put houses in doesn’t mean the wildlife goes away. It’s really not the wildlife’s fault.”
The black bear season is in full swing, but Johnson said the sightings will diminish as the summer comes to a close.
How to avoid bears
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife offers these safety precautions:
Never intentionally feed bears or other wild animals.
Keep garbage cans in a garage or another secure area until collection day.
Remove pet food from areas accessible to wildlife.
Thoroughly clean barbecue grills after each use.
Take down bird feeders until later in the summer.
When camping, keep a clean campsite by thoroughly cleaning all cooking utensils after use and sealing uneaten food in airtight containers stored in bear-proof canisters away from sleeping areas.
When encountering bears
In the event of an encounter with a bear, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife offers the following advice:
Don’t run.
Pick up small children.
Stand tall, wave your arms above your head and shout.
Do not approach the animal, and be sure to leave it an escape route.
Try to get upwind of the bear so it can identify you as a human and leave the area.
Reach intern Ashley Coats at 253-853-9224 or by e-mail at ashley.coats@gateline.com.
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The Peninsula Gateway - Serving Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula
Lakebay man encounters black bear in backyard
Animal sightings increase during the summer months
Ashley Coats
of the Gateway
Published: 03:53PM July 16th, 2008
Click here to find out more!
Sightings and encounters with black bears are becoming more frequent as the summer continues. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife “averages two black bear sightings a day in Piece County.”
Scott Wood of Lakebay and his three young daughters had a recent encounter with a bear that resulted in the bear’s death.
“We had forgotten the back door was open a bit,” Wood said. “(The bear) started coming towards the house, and the next thing I know, he was trying to get into the house.”
The 400-pound bear had come out of the woods at the back of Wood’s property and was digging around in a dog kennel, where Wood keeps the family’s garbage. Wood’s daughter had just thrown out muffins, which Wood thinks drew the bear to his doorstep.
“The only reason we see bears is because they forage for food,” said Philip Johnson, a Pierce County Fish and Wildlife Officer. “Think of a bear as a big pig with fur.”
Wood thought he scared the bear away by making noise, because the bear turned away from the home. Wood said he’s scared many bears off his property by clapping and yelling.
But after a few minutes, the bear turned back toward the home.
“I like animals, and we’ve had bears here before,” Wood said. “This bear wasn’t just going to take off.”
Wood owns an antique rifle that was passed down from his father. He asked one of his daughters to fetch the gun as soon as he saw the bear was returning to his back door.
“This was an awful big bear,” Wood said. “If he wanted to, he could have seriously killed one of my kids.”
Woods shot the bear in the chest, then called 9-1-1. Johnson responded with a deputy from the Peninsula Detachment of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
“I did not doubt (Wood’s) story in any way,” Johnson said. “This is just an average guy with a very scary encounter. An unusual one, too.”
When Johnson and the deputy arrived at Wood’s home, they couldn’t see the bear, but they heard it moving in nearby blackberry bushes.
Due to the bear’s proximity to local residents and its injury, Johnson decided to “dispatch him as quickly and as humanly as possible.”
“In the five years I’ve worked in the department, the two times I’ve shot a bear, it’s because it was injured and considered dangerous,” Johnson said. “In a high population area, the liability there is too great to play with. We have no choice.”
The adult, male black bear died at the scene and was removed by the deputy, Johnson and Wood.
Johnson said the WDFW traps bears and transports them five miles away without causing any physical harm or using any drugs about 95 percent of the time.
Wood and his family were not harmed.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Wood said.
With the amount of construction on the peninsulas, bear encounters could become more of a common occurrence, because their habitats are becoming closer to humans, Johnson said.
“As time goes by, wildlife learns to cohabitate with humans,” he said. “Just because you put houses in doesn’t mean the wildlife goes away. It’s really not the wildlife’s fault.”
The black bear season is in full swing, but Johnson said the sightings will diminish as the summer comes to a close.
How to avoid bears
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife offers these safety precautions:
Never intentionally feed bears or other wild animals.
Keep garbage cans in a garage or another secure area until collection day.
Remove pet food from areas accessible to wildlife.
Thoroughly clean barbecue grills after each use.
Take down bird feeders until later in the summer.
When camping, keep a clean campsite by thoroughly cleaning all cooking utensils after use and sealing uneaten food in airtight containers stored in bear-proof canisters away from sleeping areas.
When encountering bears
In the event of an encounter with a bear, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife offers the following advice:
Don’t run.
Pick up small children.
Stand tall, wave your arms above your head and shout.
Do not approach the animal, and be sure to leave it an escape route.
Try to get upwind of the bear so it can identify you as a human and leave the area.
Reach intern Ashley Coats at 253-853-9224 or by e-mail at ashley.coats@gateline.com.
Find a Job
Click here to find out more!
The Peninsula Gateway - Serving Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula