Here in Colorado, dry conditions have severely limited the food
sources for
bears. As a result, many more than usual are searching for food in
areas
inhabited by humans. According to an article in today's issue of the
Rocky
Mountain News, "a record 130 animals [bears] have been killed after
nonhunting encounters with humans." The previous high was in '95 when
108
bears were killed. As a contrast, last year's numbers indicate only 62
nonhunting bear kills and 847 hunting. The bear hunting season is just
beginning. Part of the problem is with the encroachment on humans on
bear
habitat, but a late spring freeze and dry summer have left the bears
with no
choice but to forage in human trash, etc. Bears are trapped, tagged
and
relocated the first time they encounter humans. If a tagged bear is
trapped
again, it is destroyed.

Betty Ann
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"In a cat's eyes, all things belong to cats." English Proverb