Opinion: After bear’s killing, woman back in the public’s cross fire

To the editor: I have volunteered with the Forest Service for some 20 years in the San Gabriel Canyon of the Angeles National Forest, now part of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. (“She has no regrets over killing of bear,” Aug. 9)

We have a pretty good sized population of California black bears and, generally, they are non-aggressive.

By making lots of noise and basically scaring them, I’ve been able to run off the bears I have encountered. When they are not afraid, and just go through a door or a window in search of food, there is a problem.

I think the woman in Forest Falls did the right thing by advising the game warden, and the game warden did the right thing by issuing a kill permit.

The very young children living in the cabin could have become what is sometimes called collateral damage.

The vitriol heaped upon the woman is another example of people who cannot avoid being offended for someone else and have to announce it to the world.

Tom Reinberger, Glendora

..

To the editor: The question here is, why wasn’t her cabin secured properly with all doors and windows closed? She chose to live in wild country, yet seems clueless about the responsibility that comes with such a choice.

Her lack of common sense is inexcusable and she is fully deserving of the scorn heaped upon her by her neighbors.

Richard R. McCurdy, Burbank

..

To the editor: I am a man who loves nature and gets tears in his eyes every time I read an animal is killed for senseless reasons. In this case I have to agree with the woman protecting her family; anybody who doesn’t see that has no understanding of what’s right in this world.

A mother protecting her children is more important then the bear’s life.

Yes, the bears were there first — but there is a difference between human beings and animals.

Well-meaning people sometimes can’t understand the difference

Ed Sinderman, Laguna Woods

..

To the editor: I served as the police chief in Mammoth Lakes for more than 4 years. Mammoth has a sizable resident bear population and the town employs a contract wildlife specialist.

He and the police officers are equipped with non-lethal weapons used to condition bears as to what’s unacceptable behavior.

Bears that get into cars, houses, ice chests, etc. experience the pain of a rubber nonlethal round in the rump.

In this case, the circumstances clearly warranted the bear being put down.

A bear that has lost its natural fear of humans and is willing to enter an occupied home is a bad bear.

Her critics are simply wrong. I would suggest they put themselves in her place. Protecting human life has to take precedence over the life of a bear that had become habituated to humans.

Dan Watson, Glendale

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook