Polar bear killed near village in Interior Alaska
Published Friday, March 28, 2008
A polar bear wandering around the outskirts of the Interior village of Fort Yukon, 250 miles inland from its normal coastal habitat, was spotted eating lynx carcasses Thursday morning and was killed later in the day because of safety concerns.
The bear was first spotted outside a cabin on the edge of town by Peter John, said Tony Carroll, who had recently been skinning lynx at the cabin.
Most people didn’t believe him, Carroll said, but as word spread around town, more than a half dozen hunters began tracking the bear.
Zeb Cadzow, maintenance director at the Council of Athabascan Tribal Government, took off work after lunch to join in the hunt.
“There’s usually grizzly around this time of year,” he said. “You want to get rid of it because it’s hungry.”
The men tracked the bear three miles out of town to the Porcupine River, where it moved onto a river island.
At that point, most of the hunters returned to Fort Yukon for a sled dog race, leaving Cadzow, 30, and Paul Herbert, 60, to continue the hunt.
“We assumed we were chasing a grizzly bear,” Herbert said.
Cadzow concurred, thinking the white description meant it was an albino bear or a grizzly covered in frost.
While Herbert waited at one end of the island, Cadzow, on foot, went into the brush tracking the bear.
Suddenly, the bear came out from under a brush pile about 10 yards away. It charged straight at Cadzow, who was carrying an AR-15, a rifle similar to the U.S. Army’s M-16.
The encounter was so close, Cadzow said, he didn’t have time to lift and sight the rifle.
“I shot from the hip, seven or eight times,” he said. “If I had gotten it to my shoulder, it (bear) would have been on top of me. It happened so quick, by the time it was down, it was about 10 feet from my feet.”
According to the hunters, the young female bear appeared to be in good health and wasn’t starving.
The hunters contacted the Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks on Thursday and are delivering the hide and head today so biologists can have a closer look at the bear. It will be sent to the Marine Mammal division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for further study.
After perusing some photographs Thursday evening, Dick Shideler, a Fish and Game wildlife biologist who studies North Slope grizzly bears, is in cautious agreement.
“I’m not 100 percent sure, but it sure looks like a polar bear. The ear set looks right, so does the head profile, and the feet look pretty big which is pretty typical (of polar bears),” Shideler said.
“It’s definitely not a grizzly. The only other possibility is a hybrid. I’m leaning pretty far towards polar bear,” he said. “It’s a super interesting bear no matter what it turns out to be.”
The Fort Yukon hunters and the village of more than 900 people are still in a state of disbelief that a polar bear wandered so far south.
“I think all 900 people have been by my house today,” said Cadzow, who spent the rest of Thursday skinning the bear hide.
Townspeople in the Yukon River village have been fielding calls from friends and relatives around the state since word about the polar bear has spread.
“It’s quite a shock to our town,” wrote Bonnie Thomas in an e-mail. “Our oldest elder, Rosalie Joseph, 102, passed away. She must have some powerful medicine to bring a polar bear to us.”
Comments
You all are in disbelief that a polar bear wandered south, give me a break! Then you shoot the bear for safety concerns, maybe you should be skinning lynx at all. Polar bears are almost extinct and you shoot the bear because it might be hungry, hahahahaha what a joke!
You're right. They should have let the polar bear, one of the deadliest predators in the world, continue to raid the village until it proved its lethality by attacking a human. Maybe you don't realize this is not the first time a polar bear has wandered south of its natural habitat. Nor is it the first time the people of Fort Yukon have had been visited by hungry bears. Maybe you would feel differently if the bear were outside the front door of your house.
There is absolutely no reason to show this dead animal, in color, no less. I find it offensive. Is this another source of "male pride"?
you didn't read the part where he had to shoot from the hip several times or the bear would have been on top of him? self defense isn't a good enough reason to kill a bear?
I am not suggesting that the bear didn't have to be killed. I am only saying the newsminer did not have to print the bloody picture. I prefer to see animals alive.
I hardly call it self defense when it took three miles to catch up with the bear.
These kinds of comments are exactly why Alaska Natives are paranoid about sharing their culture with Outsiders. You seem to have no idea about how they live or the circumstances they experience daily, but you are quick to judge. Gee, sorry about that blood. I guess when you buy steak under plastic wrap at your local urban supermarket in the Lower 48, it's neatly cleaned away for you so as not to offend.
What is really offensive is the Outsiders who go up to AK each year to trophy hunt. Alaska Natives hunt to eat, or in this case to defend their lives and the lives of their kids. And do you think that polar bear meat will go to waste?
So instead of judging these folks, how about wondering what has happened to our climate that would induce this animal to wander so far out of its natural environment? And if you read the FDNM regularly, would these forces be the same that have encouraged grizzlies and wolves to now be found wandering through Fbnks with increasing regularity? And when those folks on CHSR shoot these critters in cold blood to defend their DOGS, are you equally outraged?
Looks like they chased it until it attacked.
What is the safety zone or line of death that the bear must stay away from to keep from being killed? Seems like every hiker, or snowmobiler should carry a gun and shoot bears on sight.
I lived in the interior most of my life and never had to shoot a bear. I have a lot of respect for th polar bears based on my time on the slope but never felt threatened there either.
Looks like the boys wanted a trophy, and needed to gussy the story up a little.
Actually, I would be surprised if the bear is eaten.
Unbelievable comments.
Disgusted by a picture of a dead bear?
Critical of villagers protecting their village from a vicious predator?
What, they should have waited for the polar bear to parade through town.
I think that we're being Californicated.
It is a strange event. I'll be interested in how the global warmers explain this. Was the bear lost, looking for dry ground?
I spent 10 summers working/living in Fort Yukon. I am amazed at this story, as I am sure everyone is!! I am even more amazed at a few of the comments on here!!! I honestly do believe if you cannot conform to living in the greatest land in the world, you pack your belonging and hit the trail!! You can see bears, moose, and caribou at the local zoo. For the life of me, I cannot understand these people coming up here and making such comments.
I am still stunned. Everyone knows that polar bears are MEGA aggressive. Any bear is hungry this time of year. These people are absolutely totally clueless!!! I am astounded beyond belief, but I will shut up now and try and sit quietly.
Everyone is so quick to judge, and that's sad.
Bears are incredibly smart animals. If a bear finds a reliable food source (such as a place where a man regularly processes his hunting kills), the bear is likely to develop a habit of foraging such easy food.
Another conclusion one could have jumped to is that this man felt it was neccessary to protect his own livelihood AND his village from a bear that was likely to come back for such an easy meal.
As far as global warming- who knows. It's no secret that the prefered food source for polar bears (seals) is diminshing. There was an article just yesterday about declaring certain seals as "endangered". I'd be more interested to see what the future studies on the bear show about it's health, condition, and speculation as to what it wandered into the village.
I highly doubt the man was looking for a "trophy"- other villagers openly admits that they believe the bear was sent to them by thier recently passed away elder. There is an amazing and way of living in Native culture that we Outsiders often do not understand- a very delicate balance of faith and spirit/world connection.
I'm all for protecting life and property. But if you keep animal carcasses around in bear country (a defacto bait station), you should not be surprised if something (including bears) show up to take advantage of the situation. I don't view this as any different than someone leaving their garbage outside and then complaining that dogs or bears show up, and then proceed to shoot them. Maybe animal carcasses shouldn't be left near the cabin, endangering the occupants and the community.
More proof of the desperation faced by animals suffering because of global warming! This bear shoiuld have been out on an ice pack hunting seal instead of scavenging for lynx carcasses in a village hundreds of miles from its preferred and natural habitat.....time to wake up and smell the bear poop!
to all you outsiders who come to live here don't bash the native way of life. we have lived here for thousands of years and god willing we will be here for a few thousand more. bears are dangerous animals especially animals that are not in their own habitat. polar bears are extremely agressive and there are plenty of stories of people in the top of the world protecting their towns from these dangerous animals. if you think that native people kill animals for fun or for the hunt then you don't understand us at all. where i come from, if a bear comes into town it is killed because of the danger they pose to any people they come into contact with. the bears are very intelligent animals and once they find an easy food source they will keep coming back and only get more agressive in their quest for food. I have been charged by a bear before and trust me, that is something you have to experience for yourself to understand how fast they are. I have had a black bear follow me for a while trying to decide what kind of animal I was, that was an experience I don't want to repeat, but it happens if you live here. There were a few bears killed in Fairbanks and Anchorage last year and that was to protect people and property, I didn't see hardly any outrage over that. It is big news when a Polar bear is killed outside of its natural habitat so it is only right to do a story on it to show people how Alaska is changing due to global warming. Good job to the brave hunters. It is not easy to track and kill a bear, if you don't believe me, fine, nothing I say will change your mind. Sorry about the long winded comment. :) peace
I'm no wildlife biologist, but my first reaction would be this is a young bear who wasn't able to find a territory of its own in the coastal region because of too many stronger bears there.
And while polar bears *prefer* seal, they are every bit as adaptable in their food choices as any other bear. It certainly didn't get to Fort Yukon without finding something to sustain it along the way.
Alright they had every right to kill that bear. Having lived for quite some time on the slope I learned that you don't play with polar bears at all. They have no fear of man. We are food just like any other animal to them. Polar bears are the only ones in the bear family that think of us as food. Other bears would just as well get away from us. They dont care for our noise or smell. And as for the dead animals around, it is the way they choose to live. Don't judge them on that.
OK first of all, people might actually want to READ the article...it seems this bear was just out looking for food...these villagers took it upon themselves to rise up in some sort of weird, backwoods vigilante session...cadzow and the other idiot took it upon themselves to follow the bear who was now 3 MILES OUT OF TOWN!!! the bear wasnt hanging around harassing villagers or their precious lynx carcasses, it had LEFT THE VILLAGE...there are people making calls to the to see if some poaching charges are applicable because this was NOT DEFENSE OF LIFE AND PROPERTY...cadzow followed this bear looking for trouble... big, tough guy with his ar-15...what kind of idiot goes after a bear with a .223? wow, unimpressed...
Well spoken woodster!!! Until you know how the people in the villages live don't go judging them or thier way of life.
Yes, having dead animals around is a choice. However, there is a responsibility that goes with that choice. According to Alaska law:
"You may kill a bear in defense of your life or property if you did not provoke an attack or cause a problem by negligently leaving human or pet food or garbage in a manner that attracts bears and if you have done everything else you can to protect your life and property (5 AAC 92.410)."--taken from the ADF&G Wildlife Conservation website
Now, I know a moose is not a bear. However, by way of example, I had a problem with an aggressive moose and her calf milling around in my dog yard, with the calf poking its head into the occupied dog houses. They were showing up to feed on the nearby willows. I could have shot the moose after she charged me, but I made the decision to remove the willows. Problem solved.
Now maybe the bear would have came back, but I think it was the responsibility of the person choosing to keep animal carcasses around to first remove the bear attractant before following the bear for three miles until it felt it needed to charge the hunters.
Flouride warped this poor bear's mind into thinking the Interior is worth the trek.
Global warming, If that bear was hungry because global warming was causing it to go hungry there would be many more bears wondering around the interior in search of food, I think it was a bear that went to wondering...A bear doesnt need to wonder 200 miles inland to find food.
I find it funny and thoughtful thinking about a 60 year old with an AR15 running around in the woods trying to shoot a polar bear. I would want the biggest gun in the village if my buddies are going to head back to town and leave my with the BIG BEAR.
I also think that the men did the right thing by taking that bear, It would have most likely returned to town and caused problems.
Hobbes007- I respect the traditional way of life for both whites and natives in this land, however I have seen wanton waste of game from native people just like I have seen it from others that are non-native so dont think that your people are above such things. Just look at the walrus found rotting where the only thing removed is the ivory.
My_02, I am sorry to single you out, you are certainly not the only one on here that is ignorant about bear and their habits. This bear might have gone three miles, but it would have been back WITHOUT A DOUBT!!! There was no way it would go very far from an easy food source. Three miles in not very far in terms of how far an animal will travel. This killing HAD TO HAPPEN, once the bear was this close to the village. I was in Ft. Yukon one summer and the berries did not come out. Bears were foraging all over town searching for food. 19 black bears were killed in three weeks. All of them were emaciated and would have died anyway. It sounds like this bear was in pretty good shape, no competition for food yet, most bears are still sleeping until right about now.
Why was the villager hunting one of the largest most vicious predators with an AR15 (.22 caliber)? Why did they have to pursue the marauding bear three miles away from the village to kill it? Maybe there are a lot of a lot of skinned animal carcasses lying around town and it might come back. Cudos for their wise stewardship of natural resources and going out of their way to make Alaska a safer place.
Alaska will be a better place to live when we kill off all the wolves and bears. Bravo to the brave hunters.
oh yeah yukonjohn, I forgot, YOU are the all-knowing, omnipotent, all-seeing, final authority on all things Alaskan...you DONT know if the bear wouldve come back or not...are YOU a bear john? were you THERE? sounds like this bear had decided some rotten lynx bones werent worth the trouble and had MOVED ON JOHN!!!
TheGoat-- Hilarious comment, I wholeheartedly agree.
skinfish-- I really hope that was sarcasm.
I think it is only natural to be shocked by this. I also think we should get used to seeing things out of the ordinary in Alaska. Global warming is happening! Start riding the bus if you don't like seeing polar bears being killed. It is only natural for them to try to find a new food source. I was happy to see that it was healthy and not starving maybe we will have polar bears in our future. I understand killing it before it attacked someone and I do think it will get eaten. It would have been nice to study and collar it to see what it would have done, and were it would have ended up.
wow! This could be great news for us who depend on a wild meats for food. With the decreasing ungulate population around here we native people need another meat source. Grizz meat is great and my Eskimo brothers in Point Hope says white bear meat is real high energy food. Yeah, let me think about this more.
To bad they don't get to keep the skin. would make a great camping sleep mat. Bear mat is almost good as a Caribou.
From the pictures it looks not too old so must taste purddy good!
"You may kill a bear in defense of your life or property if you did not provoke an attack or cause a problem by negligently leaving human or pet food or garbage in a manner that attracts bears and if you have done everything else you can to protect your life and property (5 AAC 92.410)."
now, people, which part of this LAW is unclear?
Having been chased by 2 grzzly bears while armed with only a whistle and a camera, and a brochure about how bears were harmless unless bothered, my attitude changed quickly. As long as bears stay in their area, fine. Come into my neighborhood and it's adios Yogi.
remember people, the alleged endangerment of polar bears and seals is so controversial because it is a PROJECTED endangerment, based on theoretical models of the FUTURE. Currently, no one has been able to show any real data on CURRENT endangerment. By all accounts, they're just fine at present. Also, this is not the first time oddball members of a particular species have wandered far from their normal habitat. Remember the walrus in Cook inlet?
I just can't believe the other hunters opted to go to the dog races!!!
Wow! This is an amazing story! Thanks to the newsminer for posting because I hadn't heard about this otherwise. I would like to say that Cadzow and the 60 year old man that they are talking about are very knowledgeable hunters and they have the most respect for animals and did not do this out of disrespect. Im sure Zeb was thinking about protecting his family. Most of these negative comments are more sprung out of feelings toward Alaska Natives in general and these same people will take this side of the coin in the next story involving natives. Unfortunately that is the reality here in Fairbanks. Its not a pleasant thing to talk about.. and these comments are the last thing that crossed my mind while reading the story. What ever happened to the whale that swam up the Yukon?.. Alaska is changing. Something that the Earth has always done. You just aren't taught that in school. These continents used to all be connected at one point in time. And.. there is geographical proof that a piece of South America used to be connected to the SouthEast of Alaska.. There is so much to take into consideration before shooting off at the mouth about Alaska Natives. But it is interesting to see the differences in perspectives. Too bad some of these intelligent thoughts are brought forth in blindness.
Haven't read all the post but I don't need to to know that hunting down a animal that is out of season is one thing but hunting one down in its primary environment(the wild) and the animal has not been a threat since the animal has the right to roam where it wants and now you get a little scared that a bear is in the area, your petrified and now you over react and go on a killing spree. Pansy hunters,hahaha a ar-15 what a way to show your heritage or culture. Now kill the lonely bear with a bow and arrow then you can have some respect. This was murder.
I just hope the feds get the carcass and hide. Fine them for shooting a endangered animal for their stupidity on not being able to tell what kind of track they were stalking. Whoa! what great hunter. Glad this story surfaced.
If it's different and confusing, you should track it for miles and shoot it?
How many answers about why the bear traveled out of its habitat could be answered if it was properly observed? Fort Yukon could have been featured in Nature instead of the DNM.....
My comments have nothing to do with a bias against Alaska Native culture. I always get irked when people act irresponsibly and them blame the animal for acting like an animal. Well, as Wally Hickle, one of our past governors once said, "we can't let nature run wild."
Gwinzii: Plate tectonics really have nothing to do with the current global warming debate.
I wasnt talking about global warming.. my point is that the earth is changing always. Thanks
How could you do it. I can't belive you did it. The polor bear is losing its habitat and you go and shoot it. It does not even look like it is full grown. You should be ashamed of yourself. How dare you, I am so upset by this. What the heck were you thinking. Everything is going through my head right now. All you hear now adays about global warming and glaciers melting and north pole wildlife loosing there homes. So upsetting.
Wanst there, cant say. But offended by the bloody bear pics? Come on now. Since when does the rest of the world have to conform to your delicate sensibilities? Pick up a newspaper in central or south America, they have bloody pictures of accident vitims and homicide victims. But then, you wouldnt care cause they are just HUMANS, right?
wow! this is great!
It looks like a young bear. what's the chance of sending some of the meat to us in Galena. We are having a celebration soon and we need more wild Alaskan meat. Fronteir has daily flights from fort Yukon.
Could use some fat too if there's any left!
Must the News-Miner show more pictures of bloody dead animals!? I find this nasty and tasteless. Do what ever needs to be done to protect the people of the village, but don't show us the after math in full color, thanks!
Way to go you Hunters!! I say it is much better off for the front page paper to read "Dead Polar Bear" rather then "Dead Children Found" dont you agree all you Animal Activists!!!
Wow. Amazing.
All I can say is that having a Winter Bear is not good.
Most bears are suppose to be in hibernation, SO, for you
people who are not from this land please here remember that having a loose Grizzly or in this case A POLAR BEAR!, having it wandering around your children's homes is not safe especially if it is awake in the winter and HUNGRY AND VERY AGGRESSIVE-You might want to "get rid of it."
Listen to these Natives, they have adapted and survived in this unforgivable climate for over 10,000 years (you've been here since the pipeline or a couple a' decades) Get real and educated. And obviously, Global Warming could be a factor here.
If you are not familiar with Fort Yukon, 3 miles is not far, it is on the outskirts of town. Most of you making these ridiculous comments obviously don't give a S$%# about your families enough to want to protect them. I wonder what kind of comments you would post if an article appeared that the bear attacked a child? I'm sure you would find some smart a#@ comment to make about that too. These guys were protecting their community. So what if there were lynx carcasses for the bear to be eating...... this is Alaska and Alaska has trappers. For once can you people just come to your senses and have some respect for the people (alaska natives) that have lived on this land before any of you ever arrived? I don't know where any of you are seeing wanton waste of animals but you will NOT find that in Fort Yukon or any villages in that area. They are taught from the time they are born to respect the land and animals and not to kill unless it is for food. This was an unusual situation...... I think that those of you in Fairbanks that live in the areas that the grizzly bears and wolves were spotted in would agree that you wanted to threat of the animal in your area gone. I agree with some of the comments above.......... if you do not like life in Alaska, GET OUT! Thank you to the hunters for putting your own lives at risk to protect your community.
For the (I don't know how many)th time: You should not ask people to leave Alaska if they don't agree with you. That would make us a state full of folks who don't have the intelligence or tolerence to learn to work with each other.
I can't believe how many people are offended about the politics of this one way or another. As a liberal Democrat new to Alaska, I have the following to say:
1. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the villagers killing this bear. When any bear learns to associate a human dwelling with food, it becomes more dangerous and it's not likely to stay away. And polar bears are naturally very aggressive. While their kill might have not been necessary -- nobody can know -- they're justified in not giving the bear the benefit of the doubt.
2. Anyone offended by the pictures of the bear needs to grow a pair.
3. Global warming is real, it's dangerous, and it's largely caused by human activity. But it is not to blame for every single thing that happens to a polar bear. Blaming this encounter on global warming makes no logical sense on any level.
4. The wackos who want every bear and wolf in Alaska killed are just as loony as the PETA freaks. The value of Alaska as a relatively untouched wilderness is important, and these predators -- and the danger that comes with their presence -- are an important part of that. It's worth tolerating a little bit of danger and hunting competition to preserve that wild quality.
Save an Indian Kill a Bear. Man we don't just go around killing animals for the Hell of it. There is always a purpose. Living in Rural Alaska, I know as well as MANY others, that the Bear would have continued to come around, and be nuisance.
Everytime I read comments like these, I get frustrated, by outsiders that know nothing of our culture continue to challenge ever aspect of our rich traditional heritage. Just let us live.
Melanie from Minto
UNBELIEVABLE!!! The perfect solution would have been to trap this bear and put in a large cage with all these idiots so they could pet it and hug it.
"pet it and cook it"
NO! cook it!
I think this bear wandered this far inland DODGING all the oil rigs from the ocean to Fort Yukon. By the Way...where is the mother? Is anyone worried?
Wow. Maybe some of the commenters will start to rely less on "liberal" as an insult after your thoughtful post Setec - this from a new-to-Alaska liberal Independent :-)
I find the comments very interesting and everyone brings up a lot of great points. If this had been a grizzly bear would there even be a debate? Granted, it wouldn't be a "story" the way this is, but would people be as upset? I don't think so.
I do agree that the use of an automatic weapon makes the "traditional way of life" argument a little weaker, or at least incongruous. I'm from upstate NY, an area mired in Native American land claim issues and while I sympathize with their issues I always feel a little, oh I don't know, skeptical when the land they win is used for multi-million dollar casinos and 52 hole golf courses; spiritual? traditional? Eh. So I'll concede that the AK gave me pause here...BUT...
I know that if I were 3 miles from a polar bear right now I wouldn't feel all that relaxed. And once the hunter was charged...? C'mon. So what that they tracked the animal? That's what hunters DO, right?
This is a great story and I can't wait to link it in my blog and to my local hometown online newspaper.
I stand corrected Roger.
This reminds me of Prisilla Feral's Letter of a few days ago lamenting the killing of wolves that she's seldom (if ever) seen, has a limited perspective of (while ignoring all perspectives but her own) and wants to preach to Alaskans about.
Whether the Polar Bear is near extinction or not, my first priority is to keep myself from becoming extinct.
And for those who lament the "bloody" pictures, sorry but that's called a trophy and man has been doing that since pre-recorded history (that's why there are pictures of animals that the hunters took that are painted on cave walls and rock faces around the world...
I am the high school biology teacher here at Fort Yukon School. This is my 8th year of teaching in rural Alaska. Bears are a fact of life here in Alaska, as we all know. In April of 2005 I watched from inside my (previous) school at Chignik Lagoon as locals chased a brown bear away from the school. It was a very unusual situation in Chignik Lagoon to go on a walk of any length and not see some sign of brown bear. They were a familiar presence to us there.
Bears are also a fact of life up here in Fort Yukon, however polar bear is not. Polar bear, however, is very well known to be highly a aggressive, carnivorous animal, but they are not known here in the forests of the Yukon Flats. People here are absolutely stunned that one has even been spotted here.
When one factors the deadliness, and known aggressiveness of this species of bear, with the fact that no one has ever seen a polar bear here in the Yukon Flats, and that older people and children walk around here in Fort Yukon (the bear was shot three miles from town, but it was seen here in town earlier yesterday), we should not assume that the men who hunted the animal had anything but the protection of the local human population in mind.
I am surprised at the comments about the bloody carcass. Should they have given it a bath first? I also don't understand why people are offended by the AR-15 used. Bears are hard to drop and many a hunter has filled a bear full of lead only to have it reach them or have it drop at their feet. People are judgmental without understanding how life in rural Alaska works. Life is hard here and people that have to hunt to subsist are well acquainted with the dangers of bear encounters. Bears, especially winter bears, cannot be allowed to wander near the village. I agree with the comments relating to how we are not offended by red bloody meat that we buy in the store but we are offended by blood on the dead bear's carcass. The point of the picture was to show that it was indeed a polar bear not to show the blood. Native people are familiar with killing their food, dressing it out and the whole nine yards. We are removed from that process and forget that our beef is fattened in feed lots where the animals suffer from infections and horrible conditions. This is hypocritical, to say the least.
I'm sorry but when I pack to go on my polar bear hunts I usually don't pack my spear or my bow and arrow!
You have to be brave to go alone into an island with a unfamiliar, unpredictable beast! Yes, bears are known to be beast-like although some might associate them with teddy bears.
Finally a comment with CREDIBILITY!
Thanks "SCITEACH" for your comment.
All I have to say is that Natives have been here thousands of years. This is not the first white, hairy mammal that has trekked to their place of living, and it will not be the last. Native people certainly would not have survived as long as they have without protecting themselves. Three miles is NOT very far for such a mammal to amble- they can do it in next to no time. Anything that can be used and salvaged will be. Native people to not trophy hunt, and would rather not just shoot something up if there is a better choice. There likely be proper thanks for this animal in that village this week. You people need to quit being so judgemental, and concentrate on your lives. Let the Native people concentrate on theirs. Balance existed in this country at one time- without the help of all you well meaning folks, and Natives are the LAST ones who want an unbalanced world. They know what they are doing, and they know what they need to do. Be quiet and let them do it.
As an "outsider" living in Iowa, all I have to say is that people complaining outght to shut up and mind their own business.
As far as global warming goes, after 4 straight months of below normal temps and living through the "winter from hell" (including snow twice in the last week), i'd gladly accept a little of Al Gore's hot air right about now.
I lived in Fort Yukon for a year and a half, Sourdoughjoe, you don't know what you are talking about. I don't mean to single you out, anybody on this blog who thinks this was wrong. Doesn't know what they are talking about. These people are not trophy hunters, obviously you don't know what you are talking about in regards to Polar Bear, or Bear in general. Where that bear was found is not its habitat, so yes it was a threat, and Ft. Yukon people did what they had to do to protect their village. My best regards to the Cadzow's. I wish everyone in Fort Yukon the best. I miss you all.
Amazing all the people want to blame the Polar bear being in Ft Yukon on global warming. What about the beluga whale found near Nenana, was that global cooling?
The ice age ended millions of years ago and there were no cars, pollution or any carbon from humans. Was that global warming? Get a grip and quit crying wolf about global warming. All you are doing is try to get money to study something that is a natural cycle and line your pockets. Go hug a tree and save me your blithering rhetoric.
I can't believe all the ignorant comments and judging of native people. All villages know that when a bear is close to town it can kill a child or anyone.
If every one is so positive that polar bears are going to be extinct in a few years, why not open up a drawing so a few whities can shoot one before they are all gone and get some use out of them? They can in Canada, and it's only an imaginary line away. Everyone judges everyone else in these comments. I want to shoot a polar bear. Judge me for that. If you can't handle it...move back to Connecticut.
Garn,
Amen to that, with gasoline and fuel oil prices at an all-time record high, "I'd gladly accept a little of Al Gore's hot air right about now" as well...
I'm more afraid of humans than polar bears!
This is why we don't want outsiders to label Polar Bears as endangered. Especially since their populations are at an all-time high. They would attempt to prohibit shooting of nuisance bears who return time and again to sources of food in villages. 250 miles shouldn't surprise anyone. Polar bears are great navigators. Relocation won't work with them. We don't need outsiders to tell us how to manage Alaskan wildlife!
Just because this event happened in a Native village does not make this a Native issue per se, although lots of you want to make it one.
I agree with you Imusuallyright. Some folks seem to think that only views that jive with theirs should be expressed. The last time I checked I was allowed freedom of speech. Lots of folks certainly feel free to disagree with me. I usually discount the comments that resort to name calling or telling people to leave that state. Those kinds of statements tell me a lot about the nature of the person making them.
Its amazing to me that some of you even feel that you can remark on this topic with any kind of relevant understanding to the life these folks in the villages live and this incident that has taken place. Its a clear sign of ignorance, lack of knowledge and premature emotion to even make a such a snide judgement of something you have never done and will never do. Keep sipping your Latte's and Cappuchinos and debate stories such as this one with such fierce emotion, cuz thats as close to living that life as you'll ever get. Its amazing that we dont understand why our country is so screwed up and afte reading some of these replies makes it quite clear to me.
1)I agree what the heck was Cadzow doing using a Ar-15 assault rifle ?
He needs a much bigger gun for Polar bear hunting.
2) The state need to implement the 3 mile .
If a polar Bear is 3 miles out of town they are out off limits. Every village elder knows there is no way a polar bear are going travel 3 miles for 2 legged food, when they just traveled 250 miles for some Lynx.
Too bad ANWR isn't open and being drilled this polar bear would have been trapped and transplanted , before it had to travel so far.
I agree with one of the posters...we should have relocated this bear....right to these people that are against this action's back yard!!!! I cannot believe some of the comments that people are writing about this incident. ANY bear wandering around a village at this time of year IS A DANGER to humans!!! What part of protecting the population of PEOPLE do you not understand?? These comments just sicken me, we should relocate some of these folks to the Yukon Flats so they can be next to nature, that would sure solve ANY PROBLEM with them! Their ignorance would show instantly.
By the way, if one were to go to Ft Yukon (or ANY other village) you would find the SAME RESPONSE that has been given here by villagers.
OMG!! Unbelievable comments alright. Three miles out of town really isn't far at all, and these people were right, the bear would've back tracked and been back in town. And the Fort Yukon people are NOT trophy-hunters, as some of you are labeling them. I think the Outside people that come up here for their big expensive hunts, are the trophy hunters. And, I agree with Roger, send some meat to our home in Galena! Natives are always known for sharing their food with others. And as for the people that couldn't stand the bloody photograph? Holy cow, every day we see the pictures of war in the newspapers!~ Humans, bleeding, dying, crying for their loved ones, and that doesn't get to you? Yeah, but let our people protect our community and children, and it's not ok. Wow. I think Yukonjohn and alot of others have some good comments on here....way to go , guys!
sourdoughjoe, your comment "Pansy hunters,hahaha a ar-15 what a way to show your heritage or culture. Now kill the lonely bear with a bow and arrow then you can have some respect" shows that you have no respect for Natives or understanding of Natives. No culture is static, but you seem to think that Natives should remain in the past like a museaum diorama.
Why should only Natives hunt with bows and arrows to gain some respect while nobody else is expected to do the same? Sounds like a double standard & hypocricy to me. The fact is that these men did what they thought was best for their family & their community. You & the other critics would be wise to listen to the Natives that have posted here- they have much to say that is worth hearing & taking to heart. Just because they may not be a scientist or educators does not mean that their knowledge is less valid.
As for those that think this is or isn't due to global warming, there is no evidence at this point to make a case either way, but it is very unusual that this polar bear would walk away from it's normal habitat, cross the Brooks Range & come down to the edge of the Arctic Circle.
I currently live here in Fort Yukon and I agree with everyone talking about how dangerous bears are near town. MANY times people sight a bear and a warning goes out around town. The hunters gather their gear and look for the bear for hours, if not days. Sometimes, they don't find the bear and are forced to call off the hunt. MOST OF THE TIME the bear will return within a few days. And when it comes back into town, it is bolder and comes further into town than before. And that is only with Grizzlies and Black bears, which are known to be FAR less aggressive than Polar Bears. Honestly, when I heard about there being a Polar Bear around, my first thought was "I hope they find it".
As far as being offended by the bloody pictures: I am in full agreement with those talking about people getting packaged meet from the supermarket and turning a blind eye to what goes on in life. You can create a fantasy life for yourself all you want, but don't complain when pieces of the real world break through your little bubble of ignorance.
As far as Global warming goes, come on people, do a little research of your own. EVERY bolt of lightening is more "damaging" to the atmosphere than the average SUV is during a year of activity. And do you really think that God (who made everything in 6 days) would just let global warming happen and say "Well, I had a plan, but I guess the humans messed it up by breaking the Earth".
Bravo to the hunters, Praise God, they killed the bear. Thank you for making Fort Yukon a safer place to live.
I agree that this is not a native issue per se. But to say that a school teacher is a credible source of village life, but a native is not....hmmm.
My previous post was about 2 different comments, after reading it appeared that i was mixing together. I apologize
LOL good one seven51.
I just had an epiphany!! Actually my girlfriend did. She said she knows why the guys up at the Fort did not know what kind of bear they were tracking.....It did not have a COKE bottle in its hand like on TV!!!
Actually, Sourdoughjoe, how could they have possibly known what they were tracking?? I am sure they thought (as I would have) that this was a grizzly. NO POLAR BEAR has ever been seen in Fort Yukon!!!
any one in Fort Yukon pass this on,
Remember the Nuchalawoya event in the village of Tanana this spring. It is our tradition to bring a blessing to this event from the stores houses of our past winter's blessings. It would be wonderful for the gathering to share the special meat that the spirit has given you. think about it.
hope to see you there!
I don't get why people are so upset about this but I'll bet that they are the same people that don't have a problem with ordering a big mac from McDonalds. As long as someone else does the killing for them and they don't have to see the blood they can go through life on their high horse and condemn those that have the fortitude to do their own killing, especially when it is completely called for, as this was. A polar bear that has just wandered over 200 miles for whatever reason, people shouldn't think that 3 miles is "way out of town". But most people today won't walk any further than from the house to the car and back again, so they can't imagine walking 3 miles. A bear can do that without any effort and most have territories that span many more miles than that and they patrol them on a regular basis. it is unfortunate that this bear had wandered into a village but it isn't the villagers fault and I give them high praise for doing what needed to be done to protect themselves and their families. For the anti gun fanatics, here was a use of an assault rifle for hunting purposes, so you can shut the h up about that as well.
Kids in the city say they will "punch the bear in the nose" to scare it away. Kids in the village know to be cautious. My point is that everyone has a different perspective, it depends on how and by whom they were raised and where they were raised. I would like to thank the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer for allowing readers to comment on their stories. We all have different opinions, and we will probably not be able to change each others opinion, but it is interesting to see the different views. Kind of opens your eyes to see what kind of people there are in Alaska.
Just to clarify a point or two....
When we had the grizzlies visiting the areas *near* (not *in*) town recently, F&G put out many, many advisories strongly recommending people clean up the area immediately around their homes to prevent the presence of attractive nuisances. Some folks did, some folks didn't. As more grizzlies were killed there was quite the uproar as many residents began to wonder about some of the claims of DLP (Defense of Life and Property) especially when spilled dogfood was laying about the kill sites.
Same happened with the wolves. Only there we began with idiots (and it is very rarely I use that word) who let their dogs wander loose which is against borough regs for very good reasons. Wolves went after the loose dog, found it a good food source, began doing some hunting...again *near* town, not *in*. Most of the wolf (and grizzly) activity was about 15 to 20 miles north of Fairbanks along Chena Hot Springs Road, an area that has seen a lot of build-up over the past 40 years. Again, F&G strongly recommended people remove attractive nuisances and added they might either want to bring their dogs inside or at least stake them closer to their houses. However, one idiot (there's that word again!) actually left his 3 dogs staked 200 feet from his house and sat up all night with his rifle over them. When dawn came he had two dogs and an empty collar. He essentially used his own dogs as bait yet our esteemed Congressman Don Young choose him to hold up as a "victim" of these "savage wolf attacks". Sure enough, there were folks started having hysterics about the wolves, saying how our children were in danger, etc, despite there having been no attacks and there still being no documented unprovoked attacks by healthy wolves in the history of the state. (That killing in the Yukon last year was not a proven killing but rather one expert vs another with the final decision being made by a panel of residents. It was not a peer-reviewed instance, in other words, and so lacks a great deal of credibility as an example of unprovoked killing of a human by a wolf.)
Finally, and boy will I catch heat on this but it has to be said, just as there is a bigotry in portraying Alaskan Natives as ignorant bush dwellers mired in the Stone Age, there is a similar bigotry that holds them up as superhuman nobility, unable to make mistakes and almost instinctually perfect in their response to the land. The reason musk ox went extinct in Alaska was a result of overhunting by non-Natives AND Natives. (The reason we have some now is the result of transplants in 1945. Even so, we have nowhere near the numbers that once roamed the Coastal Plain.) Additionally, about 2 months ago some Native teen-agers were charged with using snowmobiles to chase a moose around on a frozen lake until it hit thin ice, went through, and drowned. The D.A. for the area....and I believe it was in the SW portion of the state...said such activity was common in the area. When I first came to Alaska in '69 I had the highest respect for the Natives. I felt if anyone knew how to live within the natural parameters of the land, they did. But now, as I see villages overrun with snowmachines and ATV's, as I read things like this hunting of a bear that had not menaced anyone despite being in proximity to them, as I read that AST report on the moose drowning, as I read the newspapers throughout the state on a daily basis and see what is going on, I have to wonder about my early faith. I still try to adhere to it as I realize there is a growing disparity between the elder Natives and the young today...but sometimes that just can't account for some of the more disturbing things encountered.
Then, of course, there are the comments from folks we have seen in this section including but not limited to Yukonjohn who apparently shares a viewpoint expressed by others in this discussion that the only real purpose to wildlife is for it to be shot...and often and whenever encountered. Disagree with this view and you are told to "Git outta the state!" as though the first and primary requirement to being a real Alaskan is to want to kill whatever moves and most of what doesn't. Funny how that view bumps up against the elder Native view of respecting wildlife but then, I guess for such folks, those Natives should also "Git outta the state!".
BTW, to forestall the usual attacks, I have hunted up here (3 caribou, 1 Dall ram), I have encountered grizzlies and black bears, have had my share of wolf encounters...and somehow by just behaving sensibly in each situation we all were able to walk away and live another day. It's amazing what you can accomplish when your first reaction isn't to start shooting everything in sight.
Okay...you can start throwing your stones! *Grin*
I had to laugh at most of these comments posted about the polar bear.
I am a white 29 yr old woman, mother of 4. We moved to Alaska 10 yrs ago. The first reason for the move was to "get out of" the lower 48 mind set.
It's kind of funny to see how far Alaskan's have come when we cry over a polar bear getting shot, because after all the bear "has rights" too & lets not forget "feelings"! Blood.......please, this is real life not fairytale land! Guess it would be better to see the cleaned up version of the truth. Alaska is a awesome place to live, we still have rights here.... over the local animal. Lets keep it that way. And maybe if the animal rights people can't stand that fact, they should go back to the lower 48, after all they fit the mold!!!!
Hey, half you all are not near as offended by the trash that Hollywood puts out as you are by thes pictures. That is really bothersome to me. The same people in hollywood who want to stop global warming and protect everything are feeding us violence in movies and music that we don't want or need to hear. But I don't see you out there lobbying for the kids. Pretend to be offended, the animal was a threat. Be offended at the junk on the radio and at the movies, they are a real threat.
Gee....here is someone only 10 years in the state and already she is "Alaskan" enough to be telling other people to get out. It's ironic, given we Alaskans like to talk about how we value individual views and individual independence but as we have just seen with her entry (and others in this discussion) that seeming tolerance goes right out the window when someone expresses a differing viewpoint.
So let's see...here are the rules for living in Alaska as I gather from her comment and others similar:
1. Kill anything you can whenever you can however you can. After all, it's just wildlife and why respect it for its intrinsic value.
2. If anyone disagrees, tell them to "Git outta Alaska!".
3. If you happen to have even the slightest bit of respect for wildlife, see item #2.
4. If you share the elder Natives' cultural respect for wildlife, see item #2.
5. If you don't live in the Bush, not only see item #2 but shut up first.
6. If you don't agree with anything I've just laid out in these rules, see item #2.
7. See item #2.
8. See item #2.
9. See item #2.
Eight hours and over 90 messages ago, I put in my 2 cents. I will do so again now, and then turn off my computer once and for all.
What I said then, and what is written now above for all to see, is that the animosity between white and Native Alaska today is considerable. I said then, and repeat now, that when a number of bears (ok they were grizzlies, but is that REALLY what this is about?) were killed by white folks near Fbnks last year, no one blinked. Now these Native folks kill this lost bear and folks are freaking out. Why? Would everyone be reacting similarly if this wayward bear had found its way down to, say, Manly (now that's lost!), only to be shot there? I doubt it. But this is Ft. Yukon after all, which has a reputation for -- what? Well good basketball is what I think of, and many a fond visit there with friends. And that's what all these folks who wrote these comments above are thinking of as well, right?
So to my mind, folks, this story isn't about a bloody bear. It's about white-Native relations in Alaska today. Read the 90-some messages above and tell me, am I imagining things, or do we have a problem here?
Thanks Dobieman, for all of your comments. I concur.
In addition, I don't understand why so many people posting comments can't be a little more civil. Does it really look like you or anyone else is reaaly changing anyone's mind? I sure don't see it, so I'll chooes to refrain from name calling and kicking people out of the state.
quit doing mean comments you people. It's good that they killed the bear because if they didn't kill the bear it would have probably come to town and destroy us. SO PLEASE QUIT DOING MEAN COMMENTS!!!