justnorth posted on January 22, 2008 03:54 :: 576 Views
The United States’ largest outdoor bear facility in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be the new home for a female bear and her two cubs that were hibernating under a seasonal cabin in Eagles Nest Township near Ely, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
DNR officials with voluntary assistance from staff of the Forest Lake-based Wildlife Science Center located the bears early in the morning on Monday, Jan. 14. The bears were successfully captured unharmed before being loaded on a DNR truck that will transport them about 500 miles to Oswald’s Bear Ranch near Newberry, Mich.
“The DNR’s goal is to ensure public safety by placing these habituated bears in a situation where they cannot have direct, uncontrolled interactions with people,” said DNR Wildlife Research and Policy Manager Michael DonCarlos. “Our work this morning and our transport of the bears to Michigan accomplishes that.”
When DNR officials arrived at the property, the bears were no longer hibernating under the cabin but were awake and located nearby. All three showed evidence of severe eye irritation from pepper spray, DonCarlos said.
Enforcement personnel found an empty can of pepper spray on the property, and the area under the cabin where the bears were denned retained a heavy smell of the spray. DonCarlos said DNR enforcement personnel are conducting an investigation into possible criminal activity.
“The capture and loading of the bears was conducted by licensed professionals without incident,” he said. “The veterinarian who examined all three bears determined they are in good health and could be safely transported.”
Oswald’s Bear Ranch contains four large enclosures that allow bears to roam freely in a forested environment. A fence separates the bears from humans.
Concern about the bears surfaced when the property owner asked the DNR to remove the animals. Normally, the DNR does not assist landowners with animal removal. But the female bear had been fitted with a radio collar under terms of a DNR research permit. The bear also had caused nuisance problems and raised public safety concerns by approaching people when looking for food.
Article Source:
http://justnorth.com/Articles/tabid/105/articleType/AuthorView/authorID/12/justnorth.aspx