Residents not to blame for demise of Clear Creek bear

As residents of Clear Creek Canyon and close neighbors of the owners of the goat, we would like to respond to the misconception that it was the goat owners' fault that the bear was destroyed, which is what the article (Nevada Appeal, July 8) conveyed.

Carl Lackey, the Nevada Division of Wildlife biologist, made several erroneous statements. He implied that the goat was unprotected.

The owners kept her in a small goat shed, with a closed door when she was put up for the night, surrounded by a 5 foot, hog-wire fence. This enclosure was not in thick brush, but in a part of the open field used by the other goats and the horses, and is a quarter of a mile from Clear Creek.

"That poor bear," that Lackey refers to was not the usual type of bear we have seen since the Kings Canyon fire of '04, but was vicious, aggressive and not afraid of people. He had to have done this sort of thing before. Bears do not usually attack animals or humans. They prefer berries, garbage cans, suet bird feeders, etc.

This bear climbed the 5-foot fence, ripped the board off, grabbed and dragged the nanny goat out. He mauled her to the point that a vet had to put her down. He did not kill her, nor did he eat her. We fail to understand how Mr. Lackey could report that the bear killed the goat when, in fact, the bear mauled it and left it.

The owners' three dogs were barking and trying to chase the bear. The owners themselves were clanging pots together. At one point a shotgun was fired above the bear's head. None of this activity made the bear shy away nor pay any attention to all the commotion.

This signals that this is no ordinary bear. This is a very dangerous, aggressive bear that could have just as easily attacked a human.

Lackey's statement, "That poor bear. I have to euthanize him because those people made it about as easy for the bear as possible."

No bear has ever attacked any living thing in this area. The goat's owners have had livestock, and a pen of ducks and geese, for the 10 years they have lived here. They have chased bears off with the dogs and the banging pans.

This was a rogue bear that, as Lackey stated, left no choice about destroying it because, "once bears develop a taste, they keep doing it."

Since Lackey was so concerned about the bear's planned demise, how uncomfortable was that bear, left in a metal bear cage, which has some venting, "in the shade," from 4 a.m. Thursday until 12:30 p.m. Friday, with no food, no water, in the 90-degree heat of last week? How was the bear destroyed and why was it left out for other animals?

I would assume that it was taken out and shot, dragged from the cage, then left for the wild animals. Why not donate the hide, teeth and claws to the local Washoe Tribe, who use the items for jewelry and ceremonial costumes. There are others who enjoy bear stew.

Lackey stated that, "as long as people continue to leave food out for bears or don't secure their trash, the problems would continue." He even went so far as to tell the goat's owners that the fruit trees they have also entice bears!

Excuse me, but I doubt there is anyone who would agree that a rancher who puts his livestock in protective sheds and barns at night would be, "leaving food out for bears." Mr. Lackey's remark, "This is just like Jurassic Park," was way out of line (a reference to the staking of a goat to entice the dinosaurs). I wonder what he thinks of Carson City's plan that has goats loose in the Kings Canyon fire area to eat the cheat grass and noxious weeds?

"People up in that area (Clear Creek) still leave their trash out," Lackey stated. How does he know this, did he check everyone's trashcans? I think not. Most of us don't put any household garbage (bear bait) in those cans until the day of pick-up. How can he make an unverified assumption that makes us look like idiots.

Our community has dealt with several bears in the past two years. One took a swim in our 30,000-gallon reservoir, walking through the polyethylene fencing when he left. Another broke into an owner's home, while the owners were present, but was chased out by the owner beating pans, accompanied by a barking dog. We've had trashcans that were out, but full of nothing edible, turned over, but little damage done.

None of these bears, or instances, is of any consequence because these were not violent, aggressive bears and they were considered part of the area's wildlife that visit or live here, too.

We know that this bear, when he left the goat owners' property, returned to another area residence and totally wiped out their birdfeeders, then he moved to our home, causing our golden retriever, a usually quiet, docile animal, to sound like he was ready to rip something apart. When my husband turned a high voltage spotlight on the bear and yelled at him, the bear only looked at him and continued to peruse the area at a very casual pace. "That bear was the biggest I've seen here, probably 325 Ð 350 pounds." He wasn't too far off in his guesstimate.

No, Mr. Lackey, we are not dummies where bears are concerned. We hate to see wildlife destroyed as much as the next person. However, a 320-pound bear that attacks a 125- pound goat is not a normal, "live and let live bear." That bear would attack, maul or kill another animal, or human, if released again. He needed to be destroyed.

Mr. Lackey may be a bear expert and Ms. Gardner may be a good reporter, but both of these people should be responsible enough to report the incident as it happened, not trying to place the blame on innocent victims (the goat and its owners). It was the bear's violent, aggressive nature that was to blame.

Perhaps Mr. Lackey should take greater care in presenting factual information to the public and Ms. Gardner should relay the things she saw, and photographed, when she accompanied Mr. Lackey to the attack site, rather than what Mr. Lackey told her to report.