Health & Fitness
Newton: Proper Police Procedure or Overeaction to Small Brown Bear Near Mass. Pike?
Did the 100-125 lb. yearling black bear shot and killed in Newton near the Mass Pike Sunday need to be "euthanized," or could it have been handled differently?
Wildlife wandering into suburban neighborhoods is an ever increasing problem. With the growth of population heading westward on the Mass Pike corridor, undeveloped land shrinks each year. Bears and other wildlife are increasingly squeezed into suburban areas.
I understand that black bears can pose a threat to humans, not because they proactively attack, (they are not like their brown cousins west of the Mississippi with a more aggressive temperament and little fear of humans), but in causing traffic accidents, scaring citizens, attacking if cornered, and possibly going after small pets. Mass Wildlife at Mass.gov says:
During the period from 1900-2008, there have been about 61 human fatalities from black bears. Overall, black bears are extraordinarily tolerant of humans, even under substantial provocation. In Yellowstone National Park, injuries from black bears averaged 2.7 per million visitors between 1970-1979 and from 1980-1994, 0.5 per million.
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However, acccording to Mary-Leah Assad spokesperson for the Massachusetts Environmental Police “The decision was made by the MEP senior officer on scene to euthanize the bear because of the proximity to the MBTA lines, Mass Pike and the urban environment and population.”
Boston.com said the approximately 1-year-old male bear weighed approximately 100–125 lb. (I outweigh him by more than a few pounds and am sure there are plenty of officers that do as well.) Did the bear really need to be shot down from the tree he was hiding in for the sake of public safety?
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Maybe he did, I wasn’t there. But, there is also a strong possibility he didn’t, and it could have been handled differently.
We will never be able to say for sure, but, unless he was about to jump on the MBTA tracks or attack someone, perhaps it would have also worked to wait a bit, back off, let him come down, tranquilize him and return him to whence he came (or thereabouts).
Again, I wasn’t there, the officers judgment could have been stellar. It could also have been way off base and an overreaction.
There is no way for us to know now.
Bye-bye young bear.
