Courant.com

Letters To The Editor

  _____  

Living With Bears Not So Difficult

Priscilla Feral, Darien
The writer is president of Friends of Animals.

on 2012-09-18

When hunter apologists at the state Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection announced the bear hunt lottery proposal was dead last March, who
would imagine it would be back on the front burner in September with The
Courant editorializing in favor of DEEP's propaganda [Sept. 18, editorial,
"Bears Vs. People"]?

It's easy for hunters to bait and shoot bears when they emerge from their
winter hibernation -- to turn these animals into wall trophies and rugs.

Bird-feeder damage is the leading complaint against bears in Connecticut.
DEEP can easily advance education rather than traps, arrows and bullets by
telling residents that a bird feeder on a tree from late March through
November lures bears. Put away bird feeders by late March and never feed
bears.

DEEP should tell the public to store garbage in secure, airtight containers
inside a garage. And, to avoid leaving pet food outdoors.

These ideas are sensible, practiced in other bear-aware regions and help
people around wooded areas that include bears.

DEEP hasn't even counted bears and their inflated numbers rely on
extrapolations, so let's halt the hyperbole and fear-mongering. The alarm
sounded seems a product of a bandwagon effect -- to be afraid of the bears
living in our state rather than be a model for safe, ecologically aware
living that respects bears and educates the public.

--
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