Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Nature’s Cops Lose One

We enjoy seeing the bear win one, but the underlying issue is the danger of someone or someone's pet being hurt running into the rambling bear in the proverbial dark alley, and as the slender barrier between the natural habitat of the bears and the growing one of people, becomes even more slender, the chance of that happening are even greater.

Here is an excerpt.


Suburban pursuit ends without bear in the bag
By Molly Dugan -- Bee Staff Writer Published 12:01 am PDT Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Bears 3, Fish and Game 0.

That's the score after the latest hide-and-seek game that almost has become an annual event in El Dorado Hills and Folsom.

Packing up their tranquilizer darts Tuesday, Fish and Game officials gave up trying to locate the latest suburban invader.

The black bear that eluded Fish and Game in El Dorado Hills on June 12 reappeared in Folsom a day later, following a treacherous crossing of Highway 50.

"They're incredibly agile and fast. They can cover huge distances in short periods of time," said Patrick Foy, spokesman for Fish and Game. "It's really hard to find them."

To top it off, Foy said, bears are expert hiders -- holing up under decks and in thick shrubbery.
On Tuesday morning, a week after the bear was last seen, Fish and Game officials assumed that the bear is finally back home.

It was the third bear in three years to enjoy the suburban trappings of Folsom and El Dorado Hills. None of them caused injuries to people or pets or significant property damage.

"Each of the three bears we've had experiences with in this area have created a huge ruckus for about two days, then disappeared," said Foy.