Letter: Too many bears for human safety

Graphic by Lori Deaton

I take issue with the condescending letters to Ms. [Allison] Frank concerning the bears in Asheville [Frank’s letter, “Sounding the Alarm About Town Bears,” appeared in the Aug. 1 Xpress]. In the summer, I see plenty of bears at least twice a week in my driveway and yard in Riceville — moms, cubs and males young and old. They are awesome and sacred creatures that I greatly admire. However, there are way too many of them to continue safely interacting with humans.

My understanding is there are at least twice as many bears in the area now compared to the era of the first pioneer settlers. The bears have overpopulated themselves by living off the products and protections of humans. Young children do not have the caution to deal with bear encounters in a “correct” manner, and I fear one day a child will suffer terribly for this. Some bears are aggressive rogues and some are hyperprotective mothers.

Humans are here and are not going away. Human life is more precious than the lives of bears. The current bear population is crowding itself in an unnatural manner and is becoming dependent on food from interaction with human society. Bears are losing their wariness of humans. This is not good for the future of bears. They need to be thinned out by removal, sterilization, extended hunting season or whatever is appropriate in order for the bear population to remain healthy and the human population to remain safe. It’s common sense.

— Marc Mandon
Riceville

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13 thoughts on “Letter: Too many bears for human safety

  1. henry

    Where do you think bears could be relocated to? What’s the plan as to how bears would be sterilized? There isn’t any hunting season in most cities, including Asheville? Hunting seasons conditions are not established at the local level. The population is too dense in some areas.. But action to decrease it will require much organization, planning and community support. Common sense fails to include complexity of this issue.

  2. james

    This opinion offended me in a way and on a level that I have not been offended in a very long time.

    What incredible hubris!

  3. Jay Reese

    Wow! Our ecosystems can flourish without humans but we cannot live without a diverse population of animals and plants. It would be best for the planet and us if we had more predators roaming the woods feeding on overweight and slow moving humans. Look up the word “Anthropocene”

  4. luther blissett

    I believe the letter-writer is arguing that either the local human population needs to be reduced to the level it was in the 1770s, or that Riceville needs to be paved over to remove bear-friendly habitats.

    Having spent time up there, I’d be more worried about the consequences of people shootin’ their guns off for fun in the evening.

  5. Robert

    “Humans are here and are not going away. Human life is more precious than the lives of bears.”

    I bet I know a bear or two that would disagree with that statement. I know a guy who was trying to break into the professional wrestling circuit that once wrestled a bear in one of those late 70’s, $2 per head events at a local VFW. He said he kept circling the bear waiting for his chance to pull one of his wrestling moves on it but the bear kept up with his every move. When that didn’t work, he decided to go old school and slap the bear upside his big head hoping that would stun him. He woke up ten minutes later with a paw print on his face and a pretty bad headache. When I asked what he learned from that night’s events, my now 60+ year old friend said “A bear will F’ you up and that’s a fact.”

  6. Enlightened Enigma

    Yes, thinning by sterilization seems like a good strategy. Something must be done soon.

  7. jason

    “Human life is more precious than the lives of bears.”

    Human life is no more precious than any other life. Why do you think humans are more important? This is short sighted and self centered.

    • Shultz!

      Have you ever taken an antibiotic? Have you ever used antimicrobial soap or an antiseptic? What about an ant/roach trap in your home? How is this any different? Because it’s big & furry & cute? Yes, life is precious, however, it is by its very nature (sadly) full of zero-sum moments. Is the bear/human situation reaching such a moment? Perhaps not yet, but likely soon.

    • B E Vickroy

      Jason – if your statement is serious, you might be interested in a thoughtful discussion on the value of human vs animal life.
      https://youtu.be/7JATJv8HlV8 a 5 min. video ARE HUMANS MORE VALUABLE THAN ANIMALS.

  8. Bright

    Too Many Humans For Bear Safety…relocate some of the people (tourists, politicians).

  9. Feeltheburn

    It’s amazing, the Xpress Libtards are quick to remove any post that does not comply with their agenda. So who is really the fascist?

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