The CA Dept. of Fish and Game is asking for an increase in the annual “bear harvest” from the current 1700 to UNLIMITED. They also want to allow GPS collars on bear hunting dogs. Use of dogs is already outlawed in some states.
Go to our “HELP” section for more information and a link to where you can learn how to take action.
Here’s the press release which tells you where you can view the whole document and where to send comments:
> California Department of Fish and Game News Release Jan. 27, 2010
> Environmental Documents Regarding Changes to Bear and Elk Hunting Regulations Now Available for Comment. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has completed the draft environmental documents (DEDs) related to proposed black bear and elk hunting regulations changes. DFG is seeking written comments from the public through March 13, 2010.
> The DEDs were prepared in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, as required by law. The documents can now be viewed online at
> Comments received from the public about these DEDs will be incorporated into the final environmental documents that are scheduled for completion in April 2010.
U.S. hunters shoot about 33,000 bears each year—and poachers kill thousands more. In fact, bears are a favorite target for trophy hunters the world over. Some states even allow unsporting bear baiting, hounding (cruel to bears and dogs) and spring hunts, which can orphan cubs to die slowly.
The California Department of Fish and Game Bear Policy has been posted in the 2nd comment in the post entitled “A Day to Remember”. It is actually a very good policy and very interesting reading. However, it was not followed by DFG, which shows why Ojai needs to have an emergency response network in place for any future events like “A Day to Remember”. If you want to be a part of such a network, let us know via email.
The following video link about Alaska Grizzly Bears was sent to us via Julia Di Sieno of Animal Rescue Team, Inc. It is from some people that spent time with a Nat. Geo. Film crew on their last trip to Alaska. They were filming a series for television.
” we were there standing with them for much of what you see in this video!
In the dark early morning hours of October 10, 2009, a black bear wandered into downtown Ojai, California. After milling around through a few back yards and taking a nap on someone’s patio, he treed himself. As the sun came up, people became aware of this extraordinary Saturday morning spectacle in the center of town and a crowd formed to watch this bear slumber the day away in a tree.
With local Police and the Department of Fish and Game both present, by-standers staring up at the bear asked officials what would happen to him. Many were told he would be given a chance to come down in the quiet of the night so that he could be encouraged back to the forest from which he came. However, a few hours after nightfall, the bear was shot down from the tree with a tranquilizer gun and later euthanized.
The Ojai Wildlife League (OWL) was born in response to what many people felt was an intensely sad and very unnecessary ending to this story.
Still in the beginning stages of formation, OWL is in the process of gathering information about the resources we have as a community so that we can then begin to instill new options for the wildlife that comes into our communities. Our goals are tri-fold: to ensure public safety, educate the public about wild animal encounters and bring about humane and non-lethal wildlife removal.