This Saturday, Sept 1st, hunting season begins in MN. We are approaching a year since we lost our beloved Hope.
My 7 year old neice has learned the love of bears and raptors from me. Last year, she was learning how to read sentences (6 yrs old). As I had the page open, reading of Hope being shot, she got upset, and then became hysterical almost, crying. I had to make a snap decision, and though I didnt want to, I lied to her and told her it wasnt Hope, but another bear. She is my brothers child, and I had not yet had a discussion with him as far as what we tell her about death, etc. and felt I had to clear it with the parent before going there with her, or if he even wanted her to know when wildlife died, etc. We have not spoken of Hope since, I just replaced her name with Faith, and showed her the videos of Faith and Lily, etc.
Just last week, her teenage sister asked me in front of her, what ever happened to the bear Hope that we were watching on the videos? To my surprise, my 7 year neice looked at me and replied to her sister "Hope was shot and killed by the hunters. We dont believe in shooting bears."
I realize now that when she became hysterical last year, she was feeding off the look of sadness on my face for a split second, before I figured out what to say.
I have finally released the anger and frustration, hence emotional grief. I can tell you it has taken MOST of the past year to do that. I thought there must surely be something wrong with me for it to take that long. Then I was on youtube, watching an owl video. I looked to the right and saw that someone had a posted a memorial video to Hope, which I never saw before. So I went ahead and clicked on it.
I watched the video, and it was lovely. I looked below to see when it was uploaded, since I did not recall ever seeing it before. To my surprise, it was made July 28th or so of 2012. So I checked the comments, and I can tell you I was so happy to realize that SOMEONE ELSE out there had been still grieving for our Hope, and decided to post a memorial video for her as the year marker was approaching.
As most of you know, I usually speak my mind straight out, lashing out when something I care about protecting has been hurt or wronged. There is also a flip side to me. When I realize that someone I have criticized has done something RIGHT, I will always give credit where credit is due. This is one of those times.
If you have read the bear.org daily updates, over a month ago a young bear they thought was Oliana had an injured paw. NABC actually brought a veternarian with them on the walk and treated her injured paw and gave it medicine to help heal the ugly wound. This is a first that I myself know of. If you recall in the past they werent able to or allowed to bring a veternarian to treat a bear.
So I am saying KUDOS to the NABC for actually treating an injured bear. It turned out this bear was not Oliana, but a bear they did not know. They posted that it was possibly a captive bear (pet?) that someone released into the area, figuring it would survive since there were other bears in the area. It did not. It walked into a garage where children were playing, and was shot. Not NABC's fault, not at all. In fact, they posted that it seemed "almost too friendly" when they were treating it, hence it was probably too used to seeing people if it had been a pet or handled too much.
I am grateful to them for doing the right thing, regardless of what happened later, and want to acknowledge and encourage that.
THIS YEAR they are saying that there is not alot of food around, raspberries have dried up, etc. so I am expecting many of the bears to go to the bait stations hunters will be setting up. They have listed most of who the 15 collared with ribbons bears are, which include June, Lily, Jewel, Faith, Aster, Juliet, Daisy, & Braveheart. Dont know who else will be chosen.
I still dont "get" why the hunters, who have all of the northern half of MN to hunt bears in, have to go to the area where the Research Bears are to hunt. After all, its a big area, but not THAT big, right? MN has I think 30,000 bears or 130,000 bears? Dont remember the number, but 30,000 itself is ALOT, right? My only answer can be because it is easy pickins for the hunters. Put out some Dunkin Donuts, and just wait. No work involved. I just dont get why they call THAT hunting...
And the MN DNR has once again requested no hunters shoot research bears collared and with ribbons.
With that said, will be keeping "fingers crossed" none of the research bears slip their collars before the end of September.
And for those of you reading this who are wondering "WHY is she doing this again, even watching these bears, and here we go again worrying WHO could be shot?" I can only say that just like with my barn owls, I am devasted with each individual death, but I so love both raptors and bears with such passion, that I cannot stop watching them no matter what. Am the same way with my eagles. And the folks who watch the falcons, are they same way too. Torn up with a loss, and rejoicing with new hatches and fledges... This is the only black bear educating force out there, and I cannot turn my eyes away from looking at them.
I am hoping also, that with their intervention of a veternarian reaching out to help the bear they thought was Oliana, that NABC/WRI will consider how us non-biologists love these bears, and are concerned for them, and consider some of our ideas as to how to help them best also.
Thanks BCAW for letting me post my thoughts.