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Young Bear Shot Dead By Wildlife Officials After Being Fed By Public

Ciara Sheppard

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Young Bear Shot Dead By Wildlife Officials After Being Fed By Public

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Washington County Sheriff's Office

A young black bear was shot dead by wildlife officials after it had become too comfortable around humans after being fed and taken selfies with.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife killed the bear after the bear was brought to their attention by concerned members of the public who had spotted it by Haag Lake.

Credit: Twitter/Washington County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Twitter/Washington County Sheriff's Office

The young animal had been spotted eating trail mix, sunflower seeds and cracked corn that had been left by members of the public, and later, selfies taken with the bear had been posted online, according to Oregon Live.

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Washington County Sheriff's Office posted a warning to the public on Twitter, imploring them to stay away from the area while officials worked to get the bear back into the woods.

The next day, the Office had confirmed the bear had been shooed back into the woods, but it had returned the next day.

Wildlife biologists Kurt License and Doug Kitchen were called to the location and the bear reportedly did not run away from them, proving it had become dangerously comfortable with humans, something they say that could lead to problematic encounters in the future.

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"This is a classic example of why we implore members of the public not to feed bears," License said in a statement. "While the individuals who put food out for this bear may have had good intentions bears should never, ever be fed. It was very clear that the animal was way too habituated. With that information, it was a human health and safety risk, and we had to remove it."

The following day, Washington County Sheriff's Office had confirmed the bear had been killed, calling it "a tough decision" adding: "Relocation wasn't an option in this case. Humans shouldn't feed wild bears. It's a very sad situation."

"Would it have been impossible to relocate him? what kind of gun happy maniac felt it was best to just kill this bear instead? sick!" one Twitter user vented on the post.

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"Wildlife biologists have killed the bear cub. My question is: why couldn't it have been trapped and sent to a sanctuary?" another questioned.

A third offered: "That is the sweetest, saddest looking Bear I've ever seen, there must've have been a dozen other options better than killing him - punish the people who were teasing, harassing and feeding him, not the poor bear."

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License explained that not only can feeding wild bears make them too habituated, human food can make them ill.

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"It's never a good idea to feed wild animals," he said. "They are perfectly capable of fending for themselves, and it's always better to leave them alone and enjoy them from a safe distance."

RIP little bear.

Topics: Life News, Life

Ciara Sheppard
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