When Andy drives up to the land he passes by the parking lot for the Cerro Grande hike. Usually it’s full of cars, but for the past couple of days it has been empty. He stopped to see why, and he saw this sign.
That explained the lack of hikers, but we were surprised to see this sign:
Dogs aren’t allowed there, so why would the bear be euthanized?
Andy thought about it and said the problem is if the bear attacked the dog, the dog would run back to its humans and there might be a bear-human encounter.
That made sense. I knew a woman once who took walks in the mountains and felt safe because she had her dog with her. She felt safe, that is, until the dog tried to chase an elk. The elk stood its ground and started chasing the dog. The dog quickly ran back to the woman and hid behind her. No harm was done, except to the woman’s faith in her dog.
July 17, 2020
I think I would also stay away!! Unless driving an armored car.
Yes, I think people are smart to stay away. But it’s not unusual to see bears down here, so people are careful.
I guess if a bear or any animal for that matter “attacks” and maybe badly injures or kills – it’s seen a dangerous and needs to be put down. When actually it was the human or in the case of dog, who put it all at risk…reminds me of the post you made about the bison and the woman who was injured…stepping into another “person/animal” territory … expecting to be welcomed…
It’s safer for wild animals to be afraid of humans. The biggest danger for bears is when humans let them get into hummingbird feeders, garbage, etc. A colleague of mine years ago had a bear come to his back yard to get the fruit off the trees. My friend tried to chase it away and the bear glared at him, so the friend called the fish and game department. The bear was clearly dangerous.
Wild animals & domestic just don’t mix when it comes to protection of the fittest! I’ve seen it and experienced it myself (even bear cubs & mamas). Signs are posted for protection of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.
Yes!
I would be too chicken to hike there with a mother bear and cub being in the area. I wonder how many people ignore the sign about the dogs.
Apparently a lot of people were ignoring the sign about dogs. That’s too bad.
I have found that here in the United States of America that most people feel that they can do what they want when they want and that the posted signs are for anybody but themselves and it doesn’t matter what the sign is about! It’s good that they post the signs to warn people. And all you have to do is wait until the mama and the Bears are gone and then you can go back to hiking.
Yes. At least people are being sensible in this case.
I do not want to encounter a bear and cub. Funny thing, they are now in the area I grew up in. They have tore down feeders in my brother’s yard…that is black bears. I wonder if I would have been allowed to roam around if they had been there when I grew up.
We sometimes have a bear problem down here, too…mainly when people don’t bear-proof their garbage, hummingbird feeders, etc. I know adults who are alert and careful when they walk in areas by the canyons, so I suspect they’re careful with their kids too.
I’m always amazed at how stupid some people are around wild animals, getting too close to take pictures. My dog chases robins, I wouldn’t take him in bear or elk country for all the tea in China.
Kaitlin and Torben have been bringing their pups here once or twice a year for a long time. Only once has one, Zoe, chased an elk, but she eventually came back when called.
read and comply. how hard is it?
the longer I’m alive the more I think that most humans are two year olds that just wear bigger clothes. I feel sorry for the innocent wildlife that have less and less habitat… who CAN’T read and are at our mercy of obeying orders.
then when we abuse those simple orders and they respond they are killed.
big human two years olds win again. sad in the extreme.
Yes it’s sad. 🙁
An occasional bear here too but we’re more likely to see mountain lions or javelinas.
Mostly the mountain lions around here stay clear of humans, although I have read some stories. One harassed a hiker once…it was clearly not afraid and was dangerous. I’m guessing Fish and Game tried to find and remove it. Another tried attacking a dog when the owner let the pup into the back yard before bedtime. The lion attacked the dog in some bushes and the owner ran to the see what was going on. Apparently both the owner and the lion were surprised, and the lion ran away. Still another time years ago a turkey hunter was sitting under a tree blowing his turkey caller when a lion pounced down on him, expecting a good meal. Instead both the human and the lion were shocked.
We hope anyone going near that area will read AND heed the message. We would not want anyone to be hurt or the bear to be euthanized because it was just doing what it does by instinct.
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
Apparently there were hikers there today, but hopefully without pups.
Luckily there are no bears or elk here, There are plenty of squirrels but they run away from humans rather than attacking them. Dogs are probably more dangerous if they feel threatened or cornered. There are some ferocious-looking dogs in the neighbourhood.
Are the dogs allowed to run free?