There’s a Big Bad Bear on the Loose in Idaho

A grizzly with an attitude and a taste for flesh.  The animal is munching on livestock in the northern panhandle.  Idaho Fish and Game plans to trap the beast, attach a collar and then relocate the predator.  Numerous panhandle publications are detailing the story.  You can read more by clicking here.

These are Big Losses for Agriculture

For many years I’ve heard farmers and ranchers talk about depredation.  But environmentalists dismiss it as baloney, and the paranoids call Coast to Coast and claim it’s the work of aliens.  The security camera makes it quite clear.  This is an earthbound creature awake from hibernation and it’s hungry.  Environmentalists argue we need to coexist.  They aren’t losing income.  Livestock is a return on investment and it takes a lot of time and sweat equity to get to market.

I'm Worried About People

What I would be concerned about is a hungry bear looking for other varieties of meat.  the grizzly needs to go.  Off to some distant point and as much as possible, far away from civilization.

Southern Idaho has Smaller Predators

We don’t worry about bears and wolves in the Magic Valley.  Here it’s mountain lions, coyotes, and raptors.  Up north they’ve got all of that too!

There are reasons governments look to manage populations.  To avoid conflict and in the long run, save the animals involved.  And remember, animals don’t recognize boundaries.  A bear doesn’t know Idaho from Montana or British Columbia.  All the more reason to attach a tracking device if and when it’s captured and moved.