Sunday, April 26, 2009

A Recidivist with a Tattoo, And This Is News?

Talk about your bad news bears!

The state of Maryland has caught a recidivist, whom they have identified from his tattoos.

The perpetrator in question was a young black bear found on the Eastern Shore in Maryland.

Originally thought to have come from Pennsylvania, he has been identified as a New Jersey bear based on his tattoos, his propensity for wearing "Members Only" jackets, and his insatiable love of bird seed.

The full story can be found at The Washington Post.
.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Washington County, Maryland-- right across the Potomac from West Virginia. If he crosses the river and does his Yogi Bear routine, his days are numbered.

Remember, West Virginia has a relatively long bear season, and a DNR that is less likely to coddle him. Plus, there are people who follow the old rule of "SSS"-- even though it's quite illegal to just shoot black bears because you see one.

Not far from where this bear was released, near the town of Grantsville, Maryland, in far western Garrett County near the West Virgina border in the high Alleghenies, a rare rabid black bear was killed a few years ago.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/05/AR2007090501472.html

I have some experience with black bears, and provided they aren't habituated to people or associate us with food, they will do all they can avoid people. One with rabies is extremely rare.