Do not feed bears! That has been and remains a constantly preached message by state wildlife agencies around the country. Unfortunately, a man ignored the plea and paid the price for it.
The 70-year-year-old admitted to routinely feeding at least four bears on his property in Cloudcroft in south-central New Mexico but the bears bit him when he stepped out of his house early one July morning. He suffered multiple injuries including puncture wounds to his arm and leg. Because of his actions, wildlife officials will put the bears down.
“We are thankful the victim was not hurt worse and are hopeful he will recover quickly,” said Alexandra Sandoval, director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. “However, feeding wildlife is never an acceptable practice and we can’t emphasis enough the importance of keeping properties clear of items that can attract bears. We will now have to euthanize the bears because they are habituated to humans and pose a serious public safety risk. My decision to euthanize these bears could have been completely avoided had the bears not been fed.”
(Photo source: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish)