From dramatic rescue to . . . ?
July 12th, 2008 by admin
Last week almost every paper and TV station in Florida, and many around the country, covered the story of the bear who was rescued from the ocean. This week the story took a sad turn.
On June 25, state wildlife officers darted a black bear who had been spotted near homes in the community of Alligator Point. What usually happens is that a bear will slow down once the sedative takes effect making it possible for the animal to be safely captured and relocated. But this bear ran into the Gulf of Mexico after being hit by the dart. About 25 yards from shore the bear begun showing signs of the drug’s effects. State biologist Adam Warwick dove into the water and rescued the 375-pound bear from drowning. The bear recovered and was released into the Osceola State Forest. It was an amazing story and Mr. Warwick deserves a lot of credit.
But on Monday the same bear was captured again near a home. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission usually kills bears who return to residential areas after being relocated. But since this was a “celebrity bear,” it was arranged that the bear would spend the rest of his or her life at the Hardee County Animal Refuge.
It’s hard to know what to feel about this. Biologists reported that the bear had traveled 110 miles in the two weeks between the ocean rescue and Monday’s recapture. Death is a horrible punishment for bears who learn that garbage cans are an easy source of food, but a life in captivity is not a happy ending.