Editor:
Responding to Sandra Lynch-Bakken’s comments about my earlier letter, it would appear we live in some sort of parallel universe, she lives in one where bears all have names like Yogi and Winnie-the-Pooh.
She states bears are omnivorous, a large part of their diet is vegetarian not meat, but that confirms what I said, that they eat anything and everything. During the last couple of months they have been filling up on salmon, not daisies and dandelions.
She states, “without a doubt your cats, dogs and children are safe”. Timothy Treadwell, known as Grizzly Man, believed the same. He went camping with his gullible girlfriend in Alaska to film a documentary. While filming and approaching a bear, the bear attacked, the audio continued recording. This audio has never been released because it is too gruesome. Both were partially eaten while still alive and eventually died.
Closer to home a 31-year-old mountain biker in Windermere, Robin Kochorek, was killed by a black bear. She was physically fit, riding a fast bike and couldn’t escape.
In 1994, 70 Mile House, a four-year-old Ian Dunbar was killed in his back yard by a black bear.
In 1996, a 55-year-old rancher, Svend Satre in Tatlyoko Lake was stalked for a half mile by a black bear while riding his horse. The bear leaped off a high bluff, knocked him to the ground and killed him.
The only time I would guarantee you are safe from a bear attack is from Christmas to New Years when they are hibernating.
I am grateful that our local conservation officers have done their best not to have a tragedy here.
Relocating bears sounds nice but you are only introducing a problem bear to a dominant bear’s territory. The dominant bear chases the problem bear away or there is a fight, one bear will die and one will probably be badly injured.
Alan Trenzek
Williams Lake