6/16/2009 4:08:00 PM Seventy five pound bear put down in Cornville after four days
Photos by Ken Lawlor
As he left for his morning run at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, Verde Santa Fe resident, Ken Lawlor, encountered a yearling black bear wandering around the neighborhood. The Sheriff's Department was called and sent help to keep the bear from getting into mischief. Fish and Game was unable to capture the bear before it disappeared into the hills behind the housing development. It was apparantly the second bear to be seen in the area in the past three years, according to the Sheriff's Department.
CORNVILLE -- It is pretty common for a mother bear to kick out a growing young male to make room for new cubs.
It's when a young bear first goes out on the prowl.
So when Ken Lawlor was headed out for his morning run from his home in Verde Santa Fe Saturday morning, he was a little surprised to see a bear in his front yard. That's not what you would expect in a golf course community.
Carol Lawlor, Ken's wife, says, there are few fences between houses where they live and "when the bear saw my husband, he scampered down the street between the houses and onto the forest land" to the east.
It hung around for a couple of hours and Ken was able to get some photographs before the bear was gone.
For four days, Yavapai County Sheriff's deputies and Game and Fish officers followed reports as the bear moved from one part of Cornville to another. Game and Fish officers finally put it down Monday when it became bold and more a nuisance than a curiosity.
And there is good reason. Zen Mocarski, spokesman for Game and Fish, says, the 75-pound bear "is still a very powerful animal. They are built to survive in the wild and are physically gifted to do so."
"Calls began coming in on Friday. The bear was exhibiting its natural fear of humans and ran away. By Sunday night, the bear was drinking from hoses in back yards, eating berries and was seen looking into a resident's window."
On Monday, the bear killed and dragged away a goat. When it was confronted, it did not leave.
It had traveled from Verde Santa Fe on the east to Lower Oak Creek Estates on the south side of Cornville and returned to the center of Cornville where it was killed off South Winslow Way off Chick Road.
"We thought it was leaving the area," noted Mocarski, "then it came back Sunday night."
The Game and Fish spokesman says that biologists recognize that it is not possible to simply capture and relocate an animal that presents a public safety threat. "If an animal is a threat in one area, it will still be a threat wherever else it might be placed. It is a grim reality when there are predator-human conflicts."
Mocarski advises, "Don't feed bears, or any wild animals. Secure garbage can lids and screen off berry-bearing plants. Feeding pets outside and bird feeders can be an attractant.
"If you encounter a bear like Ken did, stay calm, don't run away and continue facing the bear. Lift children off the ground, speak loudly and bang pans or use air horns."
Mocarski says, "We can change our behavior, but bears cannot. It is discouraging when a bear is lethally removed, but these types of encounters will continue as the population grows and humans continue to push deeper into the wildlife habitat."
Posted: Thursday, July 09, 2009
Article comment by:
minigoat
I concur with the previous poster who suggested relocating Verde Santa Fe. Best suggestion yet. On the other hand, judging from the sea of for sale signs there, the relocation may already be under way!
Posted: Monday, June 22, 2009
Article comment by:
Tired of whining
First thing that everyone should know is that Cornville, Cottonwood etc. never has been and never will be a natural habitat for black bears. They tend to stay up in the mountains unless run off by bigger bears. So I guess you could say he came into our habitat, not the other way around. AS for comments about " the city slickers were just scared" comments, these obviously were made by city slickers. Because anybody who actually nows about wildlife would know the results of not taking action,another dead animal or child.
Before the bear had actually made a kill relocation might, might have worked. But since this bear now knew where it could get food and water with little threat to itself, it would have been back! While I do believe there should have been a better effort made to trap the bear or atleast make the public aware of the bear in the area so steps could have been to save livestock, the right choice was made at the time it was made. As for laziness on the fish and games behalf, try and think about how many agents are in our area and how big that area is! They are as affected as the rest of us by cut backs and lay offs. The reality of it is that all of you complaining about them probably could not even start to do what they do, so lay off or try being proactive before something bad happens instead of bashing them for something you have no knowledge about.
Even though I am also guilty of responding to this, I still can't believe that we, as a whole, have more to say about a poor black bear then actual reaccuring problems that we have in the verde valley.
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2009
Article comment by:
Cindy
I feel the bear should have been relocated. He was young, inexperienced, hungry and confused as to where he was. I agree that he could have been placed maybe out at the Out Of Africa or taken back up in the mountains. Law enforcement had a cage with them so they should have used it. We will continue to see the animals in housing communities because we are encroaching in their areas.
Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009
Article comment by:
Ed
maybe Verde Santa Fe should be re-located.
Posted: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Article comment by:
jp-4
If they could shoot it to kill it then they could have "tranq'ed" it as well. Several years ago a bear was on the golf course in Lake Montezuma and it was tranquelized and moved to better "Bear" location. This also happened in Camp Verde. It too was put to sleep (not whacked) and moved...Sounds like a lot of laziness on the part of Game & Squish.
Posted: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Article comment by:
the tree-hugging nitwit
In agreement with Not exactly a bear hugger Game and Fish was notified about the bear Friday by more the one person and no one felt any way threatened by the bear at this time being one to also have a run in with this young bear. So why were actions not taken then on setting a live trap and relocating the bear. The bear was young enough to relearn his habitat and I feel killing him was not the right decision. Now in response to caltrop if you feel so "threatened" by wild life then why don't you move to a big city where it is almost non existent. What do you expect when you are only mils away from forest lands?
Posted: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Article comment by:
James B
Im not an expert but I do know when the bear was ran off by people on the first day and then it came back, it shows the bear is becoming brave. Eventually killing a goat. If that goat would have been a human I know for a fact that you "bear huggers" would be screaming because game and fish did not kill it sooner. I have volunteered for G&F and I do not agree with them all the time, but the trap is just that. There is no guarantee they could have trapped them. It sometimes takes a week to trap one. So lets say they set the trap and in the mean time it kills more livestock. Those people would be screaming for justice.
The simple fact is the bear became brave and that is very very dangerous. I think G&F did what they needed given the circumstances.
I would have rather seen it relocated but this is life, not a democracy decision.
Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Not exactly a bear hugger
In response to Caltrop, the bear actually came into my yard on two different occasions on 2 different days, both times well in advance of the day the bear killed the goat. I called and spoke with a Game and Fish representative on both occasions. His response was that the bear would likely leave. And , indeed, when we clapped our hands and shouted the bear ran off, obviously fearing humans at this point. During my first communication with the representative, he said if the bear returns, call me and we will bring a live trap. I did call the second time, but no one came to live trap the bear. It was almost a day later when the bear killed the goat. I do not know why the bear wasn't trapped even when it was apparent he was not moving on. I do not appreciate your snide comments about bear huggers. I didn't want a bear in my private yard any more than you do, however I was not ready to pull out my sidearm, which we do own, and kill the bear. I had hoped the Game and Fish folks would have been more proactive. They did have opportunities to deal with this in a less severe manner. It is beyond disappointing that it ended so badly for the bear. I do hope no wild animal of any description comes into your private property. I don't think I would want to either come to think of it.
Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Couldn't be moved?
Oh heck....let's import into the state some more Mexican grey wolves. Couldn't be moved? C'mon!
Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Caltrop
This happened in the community where I live. This happened mere yards from where our neighbors' 2-year-old plays outdoors. This animal was clearly a threat to public safety.
Killing this bear was absolutely the right thing to do, and I applaud the action. I only wish that it had not taken the Mental Giants of Fish and Game four days to get it done, while they conciously kept everyone in our community in the dark about the threat. Everyone that I have talked to about this is absolutely enraged at Fish and Game's utter incompetence.
I suppose that we should not expect fast thinking from the same sort of government bureaucrats that took five days to get water bottles to the Superdome. RCIS (Rectal-Cranial Insertion Syndrome) seems to be condition common to both government bureaucrats and tree-hugging nitwits.
I have no patience with the hand-wringing "bear huggers" who feel it neccessary to pontificate from an armchair about a threat that they themselves were never exposed to.
These "New Age" crystal-worshipping woo-woos are doubtless the types that would coddle the dangerous wild animals that wander into their own neighborhoods, so I encourage them to do so at their earliest opportunity. The bears will likely hasten their departure from our midst, so that the rest of us will no longer have to endure their company.
As Robert Heinlein so eloquently observed, "...one of the hardest things to believe is the abysmal depth of human stupidity."
As for the thinking and working portion of our community, we will be carrying our sidearms for the remainder of the current "bear season", whilst we enjoy the pleasant weather in our own back yards. Any dangerous animal that presents a threat on our privately owned property while I and my family are outside will absolutely meet the same fate as this one did, albeit a whole lot faster and without having to depend upon a government bureaucrat to overcome their own deficits long enough to get it done.
Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Betty
So sorry it had to be put down, but Fish and Game was right in doing so.
Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Killing our wildlife, is not the solution
I too, wish the bear could have been relocated. Killing our wildlife, is not the solution.
Posted: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Article comment by:
John Roberts
Ever heard of birth control folks? Maybe it's time to think about humans sharing some space with the critters before theyre all gone. Going to be a sad world indeed when it's only wall to wall humans.
Posted: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Tough decision had to be made
I am the owner of the dwarf goat that the black bear killed for breakfast on Mondau morning. I would like to say that it was very unfortunate that both animals had to die. Please remember that the people directly affected are the only ones that know first hand all the details and complications that arise. If the rest of your livestock and especially your 7 year old daughter are in jeopardy you must make decisions that you don't like to make. All intentions were to attempt to save the bear's life. Let's not judge what law enforcement must do on a daily basis to attempt to keep us all safe. Thank God there are people that make those tough decisions because most of us couldn't do it!
Posted: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Article comment by:
Ed
It is to bad Az GFD couldn't relocate this guy or any other animal that has lost his way.. hopefully, everyone on this page feels the same about humans (abortions) freedom of choice, a vacumm for a child or a double od buck for a bear
