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Cantonment Bear Is Euthanized
May 25, 2012
The black bear seen multiple times this week near Jim Allen Elementary School in Cantonment has been euthanized.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured the bear after shooting it with a drugged dart late Thurday near the Wild Oak Farm Apartments. On Friday, a decision was made to euthanize the young male bear, Karen Parker, a spokesperson for the FWC, said Friday afternoon.
“It’s death warrant was signed by the people that kept feeding it,” she said. “It is too accustom to people now and would always be a nuisance if relocated. It looks like we will have to put it down.”
The biggest mistake people can make around a bear is feeding it, Flowers said. “I know they are cute and it’s tempting, but we have to leave bears alone and keep bears wild.”
For more information why FWC decided to euthanize the bear, click here.
The young male black bear was spotted in a couple of locations Thursday, including an afternoon snack from the garbage at the Wild Oak Farms Apartments. He made his first public appearance back on Sunday at the apartments, just north of the Grocery Advantage on Highway 29 and directly adjacent to Jim Allen Elementary School.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission set a trap Thursday for the bear — baited with trash, honey buns, chicken bones and cat food. But the trap did not work.
Most apartment complex residents have described the bear as a friendly young fellow as he moves around — often posing for pictures as he rummages through trash looking for food.
“Problems arise when bears have access to people-related food sources such as pet foods, garbage, barbecue grills, birdseed or livestock feed,” Dave Telesco, FWC bear management program coordinator, said. “Bears learn very quickly to associate people with food, and this puts the animals at increased risk of illegal kills or crossing highways and getting hit by vehicles.”
Black bears normally are too shy to risk contact with humans, but their strong food drive can overwhelm these instincts. Residents can help these bears “move on,” so they don’t cause a conflict.
“If people remove the attractants, the bears will stay where we want them to stay – in wooded areas – and not enter urban and suburban neighborhoods,” Telesco said.
Pictured: A black bear returned to the Wild Oak Farms Apartments in Cantonment Thursday. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
80 Responses to “Cantonment Bear Is Euthanized”
Animals can never win when it comes to Humans. There was no excuse for euthanizing the Bear!
I am upset there no was effort to relocate the bear to a place in the middle of nowhere. I understand that he was getting into dumpsters but, I have not heard anyone was feeding him on purpose. I wish the people we pay with tax money could of helped him have a chance. Any chance at life is better than NONE!!!
I think the killing of this bear is unforgiveable!!! There are to many places they could of taken him, the zoo, Elgin, another state something, just because there are some really STUPID AND DUMB PEOPLE that fed this bear why make that his death warrant, I don’t think the bear was out there long enough to become a problem if he was relocated. This poor bear lost his life because the people would not listen, i hope you all can live with that. I don’t think the people in charge of moving this bear wanted to pay or be bothered with relocating him it took too much time and thinking on their part so JUST KILL HIM what a waste. I am beginning to wonder what WILDLIFE PROTECTION REALLY MEANS!
I doubt the bear was “posing” for his picture to be taken as someone suggested in the article. All you people would be singing a different tune if it had mauled a child while going after his happy meal. Grow up people. FWC did the right thing.
Why couldn’t the bear have been re-located? Poor bear never had a chance. You could have let him loose in the wild somewhere.
Shame….
A friend of mine lives on a mountain in New Mexico and has bears get into her garbage frequently. Her outside cats have never been threatened, but she does have to clean up garbage off the ground sometime.
Never ceases to amaze me how many people open their mouth before egaging their brain. All this noise over a black bear being killed for trespassing into the neighborhood. this wasn’t someones pet you know this was a wild animal, wild animals are aggressive, it’s their nature, their made that way. We’re human made higher than the animals, a little lower than the angels, but it says in Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. He was speaking to Adam and Eve. God gave us human’s DOMINION over all creatures and told us to SUBDUE THE EARTH. Amazing isn’t it. Pray for the BABIES that are about to be aborted and stop whinning over a black bear.
I understand that euthanizing any animal is an outrage to some people. But how much greater would the outcry have been against the FFWCC if they chose not to euthanize this bear & it killed or maimed a child in one of the areas in which it was spotted? No one is FOR killing animals just to kill them, but when did it become a greater crime for the safety of people to be placed at a higher value than that of an animal?
“Euthanized”……..What a proper word. Sounds all formal. Means killed. Zoo would of been nice. That was simply the easy way out.
Molino Resident….You said it so well. They are idiots!!! This was a disgusting act!!! ):
I am a hunter and have never thought taking a wild animal was a bad thing in this case I must agree with the bulk of people on here.the bear should have been given a second chance and relocated somewhere else.if he became a problem again, maybe then?? thought bears were protected by the state, not taken out by the state.hope the meat went to a homeless shelter.I have herd its actually pretty good.
Way to go FL…if this was a horse owner or livestock owner u people would charge them with a felony for cruelty to animals but u kill this defenseless animal and blame the people who live in the area. Just another example of an insolent, over arcing governmental state agency acting arbitrarily.
FWC did’nt kill this bear. The idiots who kept feeding this animal did the deed.
All of you whiners maintaining that something else could/should have been done don’t understand that the idiots who fed the bear were unwittingly training the bear. Don’t get mad at FWC for taking the only logical “out”…. You want to condem a bear, feed it… You want to save a bear and preserve the species? Secure your garbage and don’t give the cute bear any treat or any reason to hang around. The best favor might have been a marble shot from a wrist rocket slingshot to the bears rear end so that he’d have “moved along”… and lived.
I do not thing you all should had killed him you could had gave him to the zoo
I find this appalling. The poor bear did not have a chance against the FFWCC. Conservation needs to be taken out of their title. Disgusting leadership at that organization. All that poor bear wanted to do was eat. It is disgusting my tax dollars have to fund the FFWCC. That bear could have been taken to Eglin, which encompasses approximately 464,000 acres. It is a wildlife management area. That poor bear should have atleast been given a chance. Idiots.
this is sad yall people should be ashamed of yalls self killing an innocent animal yall could at least taken it to a zoo i mean come on people think before doing something serios like this!
Were in the previous story’s does it state that someone had been feeding the bear? I thought it was getting in the trash. Does this give me the right to shot the neighbors dogs for getting in my trash can?
Bummer.
I know The Great Spirit welcomes Brother Bear home to The Happy Hunting Ground, too soon gone from this world too full of petty, misguided & foolish humankind.
Just great. An animal again has to pay for people’s stupidity. The “cute bear’ is now dead because people fed it. Leave wild animals alone and let them be what they are…wild.
Definitely not the outcome anyone wanted. Hopefully this will make people realize that you cannot under any circumstances feed wild animals.
As far as using the meat is concerned, I do not believe that is possible due to the chemicals used when the bear was euthanized.
I Dont believe the bear should have been killed! i watch animal planet all the time and black bears are not really aggressive.. gonna start a site on facebook for save the bears and Hope They charge FWC for The Illegal Murder of Bears ! If It Was Us Who Shot Him Up With Some Poison to KILL him We Would Go to Jail So Why shouldnt They? Gonna Be a Big Stink Over This One For The Murderers!
So sad. A wild animal IS a wild animal. Why couldn’t people just leave it alone and not feed it. I do think he could have been relocated……maybe a zoo with other black bears. Just a thought.
I cannot believe how so many of you are out of touch with the reality. Once a wild animal becomes accustomed to people and being fed they would lose that hunter killer instinct and could never survive back in the wild. The FWC done what was necessary. I do not like the idea that this animal had to be put done anymore than anyone else but do not place the blame on the FWC, put it squarely on the shoulders of those that continue to feed wild animals, just because they are so cute and cuddly.
How many of you cry your little crocodile tears when a big nuisance gator has to be put down? No tears for the gators because they are not so cute and cuddly.
Maybe i missed something, but who was feeding the bear i thought he was dumpster diving.The other thing is how long had he been doing this could not have been to long because he was reported on Sunday the 20th.On Monday the 21st F.W.C was called out to the apartments to try and trap the the bear but refused to respond,don’t believe that pull the report the deputy on the scene wrote. So they wait from Sunday to Thursday to take action.I guess what i am saying is it does not look like the bear had been eating human food for that long and that he had survived in the wild longer than he had at the bottom of the dumpster.I think relocating the bear could have been an option like some else said move him up north.
I swear the people that make decisions in this state are amongst the worlds dumbest, I really believe that the rest of the world looks at floridians as a bunch of dumb people who cannot make good decisions about anything..case in point here….Lets kill this poor little bear something that none of us hardly ever get to see b/c some dumb idiots have been feeding it people food…Maybe we should legalize the euthanization of idiots…..
Wow, some of you people are CLUELESS about wildlife!! Guess what, if they relocated it the bear could very well have starved because it was use to the hand outs and garbage cans. So relocating the animal and letting it starve to death would have been better?! I guess since it would have never made the news and you would have never known your conscience would have been clean huh? hahaha! Some people I swear…
I for one stand by FWC for the choice to put the bear down. I guess people would have been singing a different tune if it had ripped the arm off a small child eating an after school snack outside, even though the child was not trying to feed the bear.
I believe there is enough behavioral science behind the study of bears to foresee what would happen if this had kept on going, and guess what! I would NOT have ended well for anyone. Better the bear be out down than someone mauled…
Get a grip people!
I have to agree that this was the only safe solution. This poor bear’s fate was sealed the first time someone fed it. These are wild animals, not pets. I do hope they at least kept the meat. This animal could provide meat for stew to be served at area homeless shelters.
Over the years we have been fed a diet that all animals are sweet and loving. When a buck comes into rut he will attack any thing or any one. There was a fellow who traveled around schools and so on with a film program “Our friends the bear”. He and his girlfriend were going to spend the summer with the bears in Alaska and make a new film. When the brush pilot came back to get them it was found that there a shortage of food that year so the bears killed and ate both of them. For those who are so concerned about this bear and want it place in a zoo— try calling around and you’ll find they do not need or want more bears. When the food source at the apartments is removed he’ll want food from some where else. What would be the reaction if his next meal was a child from the apartments or from Jim Allen School?As far as removing them to another area— male bears tend to be territorial and one would kill the other. This was a wild animal who was put in harms way by people feeding him. It’s like people who feed alligators. Don’t do it.
Putting the bear down wa definitely not the only thing that could be done. There are numerous places it could be relocated!! This innocent young bears life was taken for absolutely no reason!!! I’m so tired of seeing innocent animals losing their lives bc it is the easiest thing to do!! People need to learn that they aren’t just animals. They have a life too! And stop killing innocent animals!
I am of the opinion that the bear could have been relocated to Blackwater or some management area, but I am no expert on this subject.
You can complain about Florida Wildlife putting him down, but they did exactly what should have been done. Now they need to find out who was feeding him and fine them emmensly. A fed bear will one day take liberties with your children when you least expect it.
Relocate it? Not likely. It will just seek out the easiest opportunity to feed again so campgrounds and rural homes will be hit. If you really feel for the bear, take it up with those who came into contact with it initially. They could have called in the game wardens to relocate it prior to feeding it.
Signs need to be posted in that area warning of feeding of wild life, and the persons that feed these animals should be made to pay for these signs. As for the value of life whether it be a bear or human all life is important, very much so being the florida black bear is in rapid decline in population.
Such a crock.Some body didn’t want to take the time and do there job to even try to relocate the bear.This story has been in the news for a weak or better. They had PLENTY of time to try and work something out. In my opinion a major injustice by FWC. They are supposed to protect wild life ….not kill it. Lazy people !
Give me a break people….This in not a teddy bear this is a wild animal that has lost it’s fear of humans……Do you not realize how dangerous that is…..If this had been an aligator in a public waterway would you still be so forgiving…I hate the fact that those people kept feeding the bear even after they were warned but the fact still remains. He has lost all fear of humans and that in itself makes him very dangerous……
I’m afraid this fellow has already figured out where the gravy train can be found! He will need to be trapped and relocated to a better place for him. I think that’s the best solution for all concerned, especially the kids at the apartment complex.
I am sorry the bear had to die this way. I appreciate, approve and thank the FWC for doing the right thing. Pretty sure those who are so upset on this forum are the very same people who would feed a bear if it came in their yard. Hopefully – a few of them have learned a lesson and if so maybe this wont happen again here.
I’m just thinking.. Suppose FWC did nothing about this bear and he ended up killing a child. I’m sure the tone of the comments would change drastically. Folks would be calling for the blood of the bear, FWC officials, Rick Scott, George Bush and on and on…
So sad
And you are just a Kelvin!!!! So sad…..Should have had a happy ending.There were to many other solutions for this bear.What a waste! ):
This is so sad. Poor baby, he was probably just lost…shame on these people for killing an innocent baby bear. I could somewhat see their actions if the bear was a danger and attacking people but from what I have read he was a sweet baby. They should all be charged with animal cruelty(to say the least)! All it boils down to in my opinion is that they wanted a 3 day weekend of fun rather than dealing with taking him far away somewhere where he could play and be free.
This is so wrong in so many ways.Don t blame the people for the death of ths bear. blame the ones that put him down. there should have been another way to have resolved that matter. if anyone else had killed this bear it would have been jail time for them along with a big fat fine.
My heart is broken!
To all those who wish to second guess the FWC on this call. Please next time load up and go get the bear and take him home with you. Let us know how that works out for you.
As soon as I heard this story I called PETA because I didn’t know what else to do, this was before the bear was put down. They called me back and directed me to the Humane Society Of the US, then I called FWC in Tallhassee, they were the ones who informed me the bear had been put down. They did however inform me that the people who were feeding the bear would be held accountable. I really hope this is true. Someone needs to pay for the death of the innocent bear, it was not his fault.
Sorry about the bear,But where is the outrage of killing thousands of human children every day in abortion? So we think more of a bear than we do human life. Now if this bear had killed or mangled some one, well its to late. the damage is done.Hey they did what they had to do. Good call. This (oh he is so cute,) save the bear, with out knowing what the FWC does to save them is stupid. Or we could have waited till he got really mad because no one would feed him. and ripped some one up. This bear had lost its fear of humans.And when that happens, we are nothing more than a snack.
SOUNDS LIKE A CLEAR CASE OF MURDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow people really amaze me y’all are fussing and fighting more for a animal than you would for a child or an elderly person that gets abused or raped. A zoo will not take in a wild animal that could possibly have some type of disease and kill the animals that is healthy, if you leave him there and a child gets hurt or killed then you blame FWC because they didn’t relocate him. For me I stand behind the FWC for there decision the bear need to be dealt with and it was.
It’s GONE!!!! Doesn’t take long to have your life decided for you when your
a young bear does it?
This is SOO VERY SAD! I have no use for the WCC anymore! So rediculous they didnt even TRY to find him a place to go. This was the easy solution for them! Makes me SO MAD no more feeling for a innocent animal than this! Poor Baby rest in peace! And I do hope no more are spotted, for this to happen to them too!
Not this one.
We need to hold a candlelight vigil for ALL wild life that is denied a living by human encroachment onto and destruction of habitat.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
All comments below this comment were made prior to the FWC announcement that the bear had been euthanized.
Gimmee a break!
Putting the bear down is the sensible and responsible thing to do
Someone fed him and now he associates people (children) with food. Relocate him somewhere in the woods and he will end up mauling some girl scout for a cookie she had in her backpack. Quit letting your emotions overrule your good sense!….this is just a bear, if you wanna get emotional and upset consider a real travesty like the thousands of unborn human babies that are killed legally every day in this country.
There has to be an alternative for this bear. Why is the state so quick to euthanize instead of trying to relocate it. I’m sure there is a wildlife conservation group some where that would gladly take the bear.
FWC “It’s death warrant was signed by the people that kept feeding it,”
So you let a bear lose in the area and dont tell people and it becomes our fault he was in out trash. It starts with yhe State ingorming the people in the area so we can kerp our stuff locked up. Dont blame the people in the area blame the State/FWC for not informing the people.
so if us,(citizens),was to,”put him down”, we would go to jail and probably get a outragous fine considering it is against the law the kill the bears around here,so yall catch him and by using the term,”put him down”,you dont think its considered killing him!he should be set free in the woods like blackwater or eglin..??..just my opinion,but i believe that the bear didnt cause anyone any harm,so i think that when the law applies to one it should for ALL!!!! KEEP THE BEAR ALIVE HE’S INNOCENT!
Well I was hoping we would hear from Jack Hanna. I just knew this was
going to be a problem. There are some real numb chucks here. Now
this poor bear is going to be killed.
You know if there are that many people here that care about this bear
how about if WE all pay to railroad him to some place far from people?
Darn it I hate to see this baby bear Killed. 2 years old I think is when they have JUST left their mother.
THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY. I wonder if TIPPY HEDRON would
take it. I know she takes Lions, but STILL she does love animals.
THINK….WE have to try SOMETHING…..????
So, if the bear is a nusiance and you eant to kill him…yall gonna kill the homeless that hang out on 9 mile next…..just sayin…this is wrong
Why can’t he be relocated to Eglin Air Force Base? There is plenty of room for him there with other bears.
To all the people who were feeding the bear after being told not too, I would just like to say WAY TO GO SMART GUYS! Maybe when you die you will come back as a bear and someone will feed you. I think that would be fitting. It is a shame that we share the world with people like that. My heart breaks for the bear because he honestly did not know any better and I am sure that he had no idea that by eating the food that was provided to him would get him the death penalty. Once again, I am SERIOUSLY disappointed in some of those who share the human race.
THERE IS A PLACE NORTH OF MILTON CALLED BEAR LAKE,WHY NOT TAKE THIS BEAR UP ON THE BLACKWATER FOREST AND LET HIM LOOSE.THE BEAR DESERVES TO LIVE!!!HE DIDN’T ASK TO BE WHERE IS IS!!! IT IS HEARTLESS TO KILL THIS BEAR,ALL HE WANTED WAS SOME FOOD. PLEASE LET HIM LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t we have a ZOO around here! Stupid, stupid people!!!!
DON’T PUT THE BEAR DOWN!!!!! There has to be a better way to resolve this! It seems his death wish was signed when FWC picked him up! Find a better way!
For every bear that is put down, FWC relocates about 30. If we really care about the welfare of bears, we should be doing something to prevent our neighbors from feeding them, be it directly or indirectly.
It is unfortunate, but once a bear has lost a fear of humans it is virtually impossible to reverse. Florida isn’t like Alaska where you can take bears hundreds of miles away from people. Anywhere you take them they are going to encounther humans and bears like this learn to associate humans with food. The chances of it attacking a person are extremely remote, but there is a chance and the FWC bears a tremendous amount of responsibility if it releases this bear and it hurts a person. Zoos don’t want them because wild bears placed in captivity are miserable. They continually pace back and forth, tear their teeth up on the cages and destroy facilities. Many folks in the western US have changed the way they secure trash using bear-proof dumpsters and cans. We have to do that here and it starts with our city and county commissions and the waste management companies.
There has to be some where the bear can go a rescure or zoo its just not right to put him down its just plain sad …let this serve as a reminder people should leave wildlife as wildlife my heart is broken !!
PLEASE!!!!!!! Don’t put this bear down!!!!! We can send a man to the moon!!!! Why can’t someone safely capture and relocate this bear!!!!!!
He has to be put down… really? Is there no zoo in the world that will pay for him to be tranported to the facility? There has to be a better alternative than killing him. It just doesn’t make since to me.
Has anyone looked into the Gulf Breeze Zoo taking him? This breaks my heart, poor thing!!
Please don’t put this bear down!!!! Please relocate him!!! We have destroyed his habitat!!! Just to relocate! Please!!! Don’t kill everything you don’t understand Please!
Trish how do you think people up both keep bears out of things?, they make special dumpsters that are bear proof it’s really not hard to adapt and live with these guys.
If he can’t be relocated, then put him in a zoo with a sign telling why he is there , help teach people what not to do when they see any wild animal where people live.
If they would have come out and took the bear when they were first called this would not have happened. They didn’t do there job now the bear will pay the price.
WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! They don’t know for certain WHAT he will do, tag him and see, his life is worth a second chance!!! They shouldn’t assume he will be a “nusiance” and kill him! At first, they were going to relocate, what happened to that plan??? I thought they were wildlife CONSERVATION! They HAVE to at least TRY!!!!
Why cant this bear be kept in some type of captivity. There is a black bear right there in the gulf breeze zoo. Don’t kill the bear over peoples ignorance.
There are to many options for this little guy and being put down is NOT ONE OF THEM!!! Don’t blame him because the people did not listen and fed him. I think they should look into relocating him to another county or state, but for GOD SAKE DON’T PUT HIM DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That makes me so mad. There are plenty of places to take this bear they better not kill the poor thing. If you put him back in the woods he will find food!
This hit me right in the heart! Take that bear way away from here! He does not have to be put down! Put a GPS on him and see where he does go! Why should he be put down? I understand where you’re coming from about “not feeding him” but, there ARE other alternatives!
So, instead of a zoo or something, he’ll get the death penalty? The state can kill him for no good reason, but it’s against the law for a citizen to… Something is really messed up here. I thought the intention was to relocate him, not try and sentence him for doing what his nature tells him to do, which is to merely survive.
Oh my God that is so not right to kill the bear! You should put him in a protected area somewhere instead. Its not his fault people were feeding him or he was just looking for food. Its illlegal to kill black bears in Florida but its ok for them to kill him???? Just not right at all! Poor Baby!
Donate the Bear to a Zoo.
Bear proof the area!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How are you going to do that, start hanging all garbage in trees high enough so they can’t be reached. Catch the little guy and take him a little farther out so he can’t get into trouble. Take him to Coldwater or Blackwater or even Eglin, then he will lots of area to roam and not be around these crazy people who will hurt him.
As long as the bear finds food there he will hang around. Bad for the bear and bad for the people/animals that may come into contact with him. Bear proof the area!