Bear in your backyard?

   Top of the news today in NJ,  "Bear in backyard, (see video) children coming home on the bus"  Oh, my! What will we do?  Not to knock the fear people have of wildlife but it seems that we have forgotten just who's home we are in.  City dwellers are not immune to having wildlife, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, mountain lions and yes....Bears. 

   Of course this sighting was not by accident, the bear was baited to be there unknowingly by the owner of the house.  A small bit of information left out by the media, to make a more dramatic story.  Who in there right mind that lives in an area where the deer roam free in the forrests surrounding their home, would leave a bag of garbage outside?    Aren't we taught about nature and what lives out there and what could cause a dangerous situation if you're not careful about how you use your surroundings?

   While working at the Humane Society in Flagstaff Az. I recieved some unbelievable calls.
 A runner was on one of the back roads up on the mountain and ran home in a panic, called us, the police and the game and fish. Why? "I saw a bear up in a tree, two miles up that road" she says.  She was so distressed that the game and fish went to remove the bear only to end up fataly shooting it when they could not get it down from the tree. (not sure of the details of how it ended up killed, but the bear was not saved).

   Another call came from a lady who had recently moved there from another state and bought a house on the back side of the lake. There were maybe 6 homes total in that area then.  She called us outraged that the elk were eating her flowers..."they should know better" is what she said. LOL, I lost it and stopped her in mid rant after advising her what she could do to not attract them to her property and that the area she moved into is a right of way for the elk to get to the lake.  So, it went kinda like this, "Do you have a camera?"  Irate lady: "um, yes I do, why?"  Me: "well, go get it and take some pictures of the elk to send to your family so they can see the beautiful area you moved into."  I promptly heard a loud "Well!" and the phone went dead.  Many many other stories like this, over and over again and I still have to ask, Why are you living in an area like this?  How could you NOT know that bears like your garbage?