Bear Returns to Scene of the Kill
Ray Fiddler checks carcass of donkey next to Bear trap – photo- 250News
Prince George, B.C.- Her name was Lucky, but she was anything but.
The 12 year old donkey, a family pet for the last eleven years for the Fiddler family on Buckingham Road, was attacked Saturday night as she lay on freshly spread hay under a tree, no more than 100 feet from the Fiddler home.
No one heard a sound, as a black bear killed 12 year old Lucky.
"We were home" says Ray Fiddler, a retired logging truck owner/operator "the dogs never barked, there wasn’t a sound."
Ray says he and his wife were shocked to find Lucky’s carcass on Sunday morning.
( at right, tracks in the snow show where bear approached and left the Fiddler property photo-250NEWS)
Conservation officers have placed a bear trap on their property. The trap has been baited with chicken and fish, but the bear returned to the site last night, and ignored the trap, instead, he headed straight for the 500 pound carcass of the donkey.
"I got out my flashlight and had the light on him when he came back lst night to feed on the carcass. As soon as he saw the light, he headed off over that fence, and back into the bush. I pointed my flashlight that way, and could see his eyes glowing green." Although Ray has a firearm in the house, he says he can’t fire at the bear because he is within the City limits.
Fiddler says the bear has been in the neighbourhood for three or four years and hadn’t caused any problems. "I guess Lucky wasn’t afraid of him because she had seen him around before, she must have trusted that he wouldn’t do this sort of thing."
Comments
Its cold out right now… if the bear hasn’t den’d up by now its because he hasn’t feed enough to last the winter.
People pick all the fruit trees clean and such is good to keep the bears away, but can also lead to situations like this.
My suggestions is have a box of apples or two picked from the fruit trees in early fall and then plant them in the bush far from the homes in early November to give the hungry bears a chance at some easy food that keeps them from any need to wander closer to the homes. Divert them away from the homes with bait works too.
This is not the only bear that has not denned yet. I have seen 4 bear in various areas of city limits in the past week.
@ Eagleone, I had posted a similar about a year ago a familiar scroll suggesting trees or discarding fruits out in the boonies.
Eagleone, you’ve had a visit from the CO’s in the past for feeding bears. Don’t you get it?
I wonder if keeping a docile donkey is considered feeding a bear …..
From my point of view it is not. From my point of view anything non-aggressive one does with the intent of keeping a predator away from feeding opportunities close to a settlement is reasonable.
If the conservation officers think otherwise, then let them do the job of looking after individual settlements
Bears will not den/hibernate as long as they are finding food, no matter how fat they are. The females will eventually den up when the young are ready to be born, the males can stay active all winter.
Being omnivorous, they can find all kinds of suitable food in the city/rural interface. It is not just about fruit trees and garbage. Bears are happy to eat pet food, pets, grain meant for domestic animal feed, rabbit pellets, road kill, bird seed, and lots of other stuff. Some become quite expert at breaking open outdoor freezers, and even gain access to freezers locked in garages and outdoor sheds.
If this bear does eventually den up, the first place where it will go in spring will be the place where it found such a nice windfall of high calorie food last fall. Successful predation on an animal such as a donkey teaches them the value of that effort and they tend to become more predatory as they get older.
Taking food out into the bush for bears in the expectation of encouraging them to den up is contrary to bear biology and may encourage additional bears (those living out in the bush) to remain active as well. Not to mention that it is, for good reasons, illegal to feed wildlife.
Sorry gus ole buddy read the regulations you might learn something.
Chuck said it all, bears are not on a fixed timetable like snowbirds. Snowbirds panic at the first snowflake, fire up the rv and head south.
not too sure of this but I believe there was a city by law that allowed you to discharge a shot gun in city limits. not sure if it is still in effect as it was a long time ago
“Posted by: hadenuf on November 12 2012 3:40 PM
not too sure of this but I believe there was a city by law that allowed you to discharge a shot gun in city limits. not sure if it is still in effect as it was a long time ago”
And it also required that you use nothing larger than #4 shot. Don’t know about you but I sure wouldn’t be firing bird shot at a feeding bear. :)
Hey Guesswhat where did you see those four bears last week in different parts of the city. you must be up all times of the day and night and have special night vision.
Has anyone else seen a bear, are you saying they do not hibernate around here, they may be out in Vancouver but this is not Vancouver.
Maybe the guy should think about the three S’s. Shoot, shovel and shut up.
Fresh bear tracks Oct 30 on trail off the end of Westgate.
Why did they leave the donkey carcass out and use something else to bait the trap? Surely they know that bears commonly return to a kill. They should either have removed the donkey carcass or moved it into the trap.
Bears are still around. I had one into my composite barrel last week.
I saw one crossing the 1400 block of Fir last week.
I think Prince George has alot to offer in many ways but it’s also very sad that there are ignorant, redneck individuals out there who consider committing the whole “3 S” garbage. Animals are no different from people in that they are just trying to put food in their belly and find a way to survive. My heart goes out to the owners of the donkey though.
I also think baiting the trap with the donkey’s carcass was in poor taste which must have been very hard on the family.
Posted by: billm on November 12 2012 4:38 PM
Hey Guesswhat where did you see those four bears last week in different parts of the city. you must be up all times of the day and night and have special night vision.
Has anyone else seen a bear, are you saying they do not hibernate around here, they may be out in Vancouver but this is not Vancouver.
Lets start with Ferry Avenue by the bridge in a tree by the road atop the bank of the river. How about the one up behind Luciens Auto on the Hart Hwy. Another one Foothills Boulevard. Out west on the behind Vanway school.
Obviously, billm you still must be sitting in the bar – u don’t get out much or are not an early riser;p
Dragonmaster, You have talked about shooting bears on your property in the city limits. Seems all right to you.
I however have never been visited by the CO for feeding bears, because simply I haven’t done that near my house. I clean my trees early September and haven’t ever had a bear problem. You always seem to infer that I have.
My back yard is next to the garbage dump so I do see my share of transient bears, but I don’t have problems with them and neither have my neighbors… they move along when they can’t access any food nearby.
a bear has just killed a donkey so you put bait in a trap hoping to lure him in while his fresh kill is lying outside good god no wonder our wildlife mgmt is in such disarray in this province sure hope you never have to trap for a living just shoot the bear in the lungs with a 22 and he will go lye down and go into early hibernation bear problem solved
The bear is obviously upset about the most recent American election results.
Had a big blackie in the yard on the Hart Hwy 2 nights ago…they are still around….
Shoot the bear in the lungs? Yes there are the idiots among us sadly.
Prince George is a growing city and we continue to diminish wildlife habitat. Obviously the wildlife didn’t get the memo about that and struggle to survive around us. I don’t think shooting the bears or other wildlife that is being deemed a nuisance, is an intelligent answer. We are supposed to be an evolved species after all.
^^^ya think this is one of the concerns the Haldi NIMBYs had in their presentation to the City Hall?
Bears will not hibernate if they are in danger. Perhaps the recent earthquake tremor, is keeping them awake a bit longer.
Eagleone, I distinctly recall you saying a few years ago how you were throwing food scraps over your fence for your pet bears. I also happen to know you were reported to the CO’s for it.
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