Mama Bear, Baby Bear, Dog and Dog Owner Survive
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2019 VOLUME 13 NO. 24 MAMA BEAR, BABY BEAR, SIERRA MADRE CIVIC CLUB AWARDS GRANTS DOG AND DOG OWNER TO 14 ORGANIZATIONS SURVIVE ENCOUNTER WITHOUT CATASTROPHE The City of Sierra Madre is a Wildlife KeepMeWild.org. CDFW also recently Sanctuary and as such any incident in- published seven things to know about volving the clashing of cultures between California bear activity right now. humans, and in this case domesticated animals, concerns just about the entire (1) Has there been an increase in the town. number of bears entering residential Early last week, a black bear and her areas? cub came down from the hillsides and encountered a dog who apparently did There is a definite uptick in bear activ- not care for the visitors in the dogs back- ity, which occurs every year around this yard, Numerous accounts say the dog time, all across the state. In most in- was particularly interested in why the stances, we’re witnessing the dispersal cub was in the tree and that did not sit of young male black bears. Young bears well with Mama Bear who decided to typically spend about two years with protect her cub. In turn, the homeown- their mother, after which the mother er came out to save his dog, and he too chases off her young male offspring in was 'addressed' by Mama bear. That is the spring to fend for themselves. The the lighter version of the incident. behavior itself is not unusual for the Both the man and his dog escaped seri- time of year. ous injury and Mama Bear and her cub eventually were released back into the Nature provides these youngsters with hillsides. the best chance of survival as they are The incident captured the attention of turned out on their own at a time of year many residents who were fearful that the when food and water resources on the adult bear would be euthanised. That landscape are the most available and did not happen. There was further con- plentiful. cern that the mother and her cub would California’s black bears of all ages are Civic Club President Marcia Bent announced to the City Council and general public the awarding of 14 grants to a va- be separated. That didn't happen either. waking up hungry from their winter riety of local charities. Pictured above are representatives of the respective groups. A total of $9,500 was disbursed from However, what did happen was a re- downtime and are out actively searching the Civic Club's philanthropy funds. The recipients were: minder of the challenges we face in this for food. Adult bears may also be out Civic Club Beautification Committee/Wistaria Vine area 'living with wildlife'. searching for mates. There is more bear City of Sierra Madre Mount Wilson Trail Race Here is a portion of the official version activity across the state this time of year Convalescent Aid Society of events from the California Depart- and sometimes the adults end up in the Creative Arts Group ment of Fish and Wildlife: wrong place, too. Reading is Fundamental Sierra Madre CERT The adult black bear that scratched a man 2. Even when bears are spotted in popu- Sierra Madre Community Foundation/Fletcher Fund on his Sierra Madre property on June 10 lated and residential communities, the Sierra Madre Community Foundation/4th of July Committee was protecting her cub and not acting ab- bears will typically and happily find their Sierra Madre Elementary PTA normally aggressive, a California Depart- way back to wild habitat on their own Sierra Madre Historical Preservation Society ment of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) inves- without any kind of assistance. Only Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery Association tigation has concluded. CDFW is in the when a bear becomes stuck in a situa- Sierra Madre Playhouse process of releasing both the bear and cub tion where it can’t escape or is in danger Sierra Madre Public Library back to suitable habitat near the location of harming itself or others will CDFW Sierra Madre Rose Float Association where they were captured. As the paper typically intervene to remove the bear and the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team. went to press we received confirmation and safely return it to wild habitat. Organized in 1944 by women "who were interested in creating a better community", their purpose is to promote Sierra that the bear family was indeed released Madre as a friendly, caring place to live. They meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Hart Park together back into the forest. (3) In some unfortunate cases through- House in Sierra Madre’s Memorial Park. For additional information go to: www.sierramadrecivicclub.org. The sow strayed onto the man’s proper- out the state, black bears are being Photo by Mary Lou Caldwell struck and hit by vehicles on the road- ways. Drivers need to be particularly ty, where the adult bear was challenged by alert this time of year as wildlife of all the man’s dog. The sow had a cub nearby. kinds – bears, bobcats, deer, coyotes, The dog reportedly engaged in a physical foxes, among them – are on the move, confrontation with the sow prompting the out and about, and more active and vis- man to run into the fray to save his dog. ible than usual. He kicked the sow, which prompted it to scratch him. CDFW biologists concluded (4) Are these bears a public safety threat the bear acted in defense of itself and its or a threat to my pets? cub, which constitutes normal behavior. Black bears very rarely pose any kind of The man successfully saved the dog and public safety threat and are not often a called 911. The injuries to the man and threat to domestic dogs and cats. For the his dog were not serious and both are ex- most part, they do their very best to stay pected to fully recover. as far away from people as possible. A wildlife officer responded to the scene and tranquilized both bears after the man (5) What kind of bears are these? identified them as the ones involved in the California is home only to one species of incident. Officers collected DNA evidence bear – the black bear. Black bears, how- samples from the man and the sow and ever, come in a variety of colors, includ- sent them to the CDFW Wildlife Foren- ing black, brown, blond and cinnamon. sics Laboratory in Sacramento for anal- ysis. Forensics scientists compared the (6) How can I help the bears? DNA profile of the captured adult bear to Bears have a highly specialized sense those of evidence taken from the man to of smell. The public can help bears stay conclude with a very high level of confi- out of human settlements and stick to dence that the captured bear was the one their natural diet by properly disposing involved in the incident. of leftover food and garbage and secur- Forensics scientists also compared the ing other attractants such as pet food bear’s DNA to the DNA evidence collect- so these dispersing bears don’t become ed from a bear attack reported on April acclimated to urban environments. CD- 25, also in Sierra Madre. The evidence FW’s Keep Me Wild: Black Bear web- showed that it was not the same bear. page offers a number of other useful tips CDFW reminds Californians that much to keep the bears wild and safe. of the state is bear country, even Los An- geles County, one of the most populated (7) Who should I call to report a bear? counties in the United States. CDFW ban areas should be reported to the nearest CDFW regional office during normal business hours. After-hours or weekend encourages the citizens of Sierra Madre A black bear spotted while out hiking, sightings should be reported first to local police or sheriff officers, who often can respond and secure a scene quickly and and anyone living in and around bear camping or recreating in wild habitat is then contact CDFW as needed. In any kind of emergency situation, please call 911. habitat to review tips on how to better not necessarily a cause for alarm. Bears coexist with bears and other wildlife at spotted in residential, suburban or ur- The photo above was submitted by a Sierra Madre resident the very next day. This is not the same bear as in the incident mentioned above. MVNews Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: [email protected] Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com 2 Mountain View News Saturday, June 15, 2019 SIERRA MADRE COMMUNITY CALENDAR Weather Wise 6-Day Forecast Sierra Madre, Ca. INSIDE NEWS Sun Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s Mon: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s SIERRA MADRE PAGES 1,2,3 Tues: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s SAN GABRIEL VALLEY PAGE 4 Wed: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s TABLE FOR 2 Thur: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s PASADENA/ALTADENA PAGES 5,6 Fri: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s ARCADIA PAGE 7 Forecasts courtesy of the National Weather Service MONROVIA/DUARTE PAGE 7 SIERRA MADRE CITY MEETINGS SAN MARINO/SO. PASADENA PAGE 8 CALENDAR EDUCATION & YOUTH PAGE 9 Unless otherwise noted, all meetings listed below are held at BEST FRIENDS PAGE 10 City Hall 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. Sierra Madre, Ca. GOOD LIFE PAGE 11 626-355-7135 SENIOR HAPPENINGS CITY COUNCIL SAVVY SENIOR MAY 14TH, 2019 AT 6:30PM MAY 28ST, 2019 AT 6:30PM WORLD PAGE 12 JUNE 11TH, 2019 AT 6:30PM FAMILY MATTERS JUNE 25TH, 2019 AT 6:30PM REV.