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Resident charged with shooting black bear Melodie Phelps News Editor A black bear was shot and killed in Wayne County just before Thanksgiving after it came near a residence in the Abbott and Broadhurst Road area. The bear was apparently shot on Tuesday, November 23 and died the following day, according to Sharkley Stonewall with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. A local man, Jeff McGuire, was cited for illegal taking and pursuing of a bear in connection with the incident. McGuire appeared in Wayne District Court on Monday morning and entered a guilty plea. He was fined $1000<$500 of which was suspended for one year on the condition of no fishing or wildlife violations costs. According to the citation, McGuire said he saw the bear walking toward the dog pen near his residence and he fired two shots to scare the animal. One shot accidentally hit the bear, according to the statement. Stonewall indicated the bear that was killed was likely one that had been sighted in the Oil Valley and Barrier area, and not the younger male cub that recently took quite a trip across the county. He said the bear weighed about 300 pounds and had likely been released by the National Parks Service in 1994. Black bears were released in Tennessee and in neighboring McCreary County. Officials gathered information from an autopsy of the animal, as well as biologists from the National Forestry Service to help determine more about the bear. He said the bear died from a single gunshot wound to the lower intestine. Stonewall said that at least four different black bears have been sighted in Wayne County over the past couple of months, and as the numbers of the animals begin to increase locally, he believes that people should become better educated about bears. ³People just arenıt familiar with black bears, and they need to be educated more about them,² said Stonewall. Normally, a black bear is not an aggressive animal. In most cases it will not approach a human, but Stonewall cautioned that you should never corner a bear. ³You donıt need to try to feed them or befriend them,² he said. Black bears normally eat nuts, berries and vegetation. They rarely eat meat and only do so if the source is seriously injured or already dead. They do not hunt prey and kill it. Some tips include keeping garbage put up away from where a bear could get to it. He also advised that when feeding dogs, leave only the amount of food that they will eat at one time. Lots of dog food left outside in a dish can also attract bears. He also advised that local residents not believe everything they see about bears on television. He encourages anyone who is interested to go online and search the Internet for more information about bears. ³They are here and we need to learn how to co-exist with them,² he stated. Add a comment |
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