Letters to the Editor: Shooting a bear that has already been tranquilized is ‘an act of cruelty’
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To the editor: I sometimes reread pieces in the Opinion section to be sure I’ve understood all the nuances or to grapple with a particular perspective on an issue, including my own. Until today, I don’t think I’ve ever read a news item twice. In fact, I was in such disbelief that I had to read it three times (“Bear trouble in Sierra Madre: After the Eaton fire, home invasions rise sharply,” Aug. 1).
Authorities shot and killed a bear that had been tranquilized? The bear was not a threat to anyone while tranquilized. Yet, instead of trucking her farther into the wilds and releasing her, they found it necessary to kill her? To shoot a contained animal is an act of cruelty. If there were a legitimate reason to euthanize the bear, there are humane ways to put an animal down painlessly.
It goes without saying that no one wants a bear breaking into their home, but this ill-advised attempt at a solution is an unnecessary act of barbarism, a 2025 version of the ending of the 1957 film “Old Yeller.” Except that shooting that dog was an act of love. Shooting this bear was an act of brutality.
Teresa DeCrescenzo, Studio City
