Subway Sandwich Shop Gets Bearish Opening

I agree that killing the Kitimat "Subway" black bear was sad, but unfortunately, once a bear comes into a situation like that and is not afraid of humans, they must be put down. Yes, people have moved into the bears' territory, but law enforcement officers as well as wildlife managers have to consider the safety of humans - particularly children. Sometimes, if a black bear has wandered into a campsite or a yard, but still seems afraid of people, it will be tranquilized, tagged on one ear, sometimes radio-collared, and relocated to a wild area. However, very frequently the bear returns. This often happens because people have directly fed them or left out coolers or food on a picnic table, garbage, bird, deer, horse, or dog food where the bear can get to it. (Most states/provinces now have very heavy fines if you are found to be feeding a bear - even if it is by leaving coolers out.) My husband, a wildlife manager, has trapped and relocated many bears in his career. He also has had to put down tagged bears that have returned as well as non-tagged black bears that are aggressive and unafraid of humans. (He says that this is the part of the job that he likes the least.) Several of the aggressive bears that he put down were not tagged, but were very menacing. In one case he was out all night in a campground, sleeping in his 1/2 ton truck cab while a bear "culvert" live trap was set in a nearby campsite. This bear not only climbed into the back of his truck, but finally came around to the driver's side window, stood up and commenced to growl and snap its jaws while clawing at the window. My husband rolled down the window just far enough to put his gun muzzle out and pulled the trigger. The black bear was so large that he couldn't get his door on that side open. What if someone had been camping in that site? What if a child had been outside, playing? Unfortunately, as humans and wildlife overlap more & more, these incidents will happen. The best that the public can do is not to feed wildlife -whether deliberately or accidentally. Wildlife Manager's Wife

Having been stalked for 3 days by a bear until I shot it, having had a neighbor who was consumed by a bear I can't they made a mistake. Once an animal loses its fear of man it become a danger. Black bears are a nuisance they are simply the homeless panhandlers of the carnivore world. And they are not neccesarily bad eating. My solution to racoons is the following. Cranberry Raccoon: 2 1/2 to 3 lbs of Raccoon pieces (remove the fat and glands),1 cup of finely chopped cranberries, 1 cup apple cider, 1/4 cup honey, pinch of grated orange peel, a tad of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg. Put the coon in a crock pot for 3-4 hours; then add other ingredients and cook for an additional 4-5 hours...enjoy... I ate the above for many a night when I ran a trap line putting myself through college. I also have it on good account that squirrels make the best gravy for deer meat. They also taste delicious pan fried if you season critters up with acorns and Winesap apples for 2 weeks or so before slaughter. FuwaFuwaUsagi

If there is an eyewitness to the event that has a different account, we hope they will post it. We'd love to know the truth. And we can handle the truth.

One bit of information that I did not report was that according to the local paper, the bear left a gift—a part of himself—on the floor.

In reporting this story, I contacted the following and would like to thank them for their contributions—the editor at the Northern Sentinel, a corporate spokesperson at the Subway chain (Doctor's Associates, Inc.), a worker at the Kitimat Subway store and the franchise owner. The story comes largely from the Kitimat Sentinel's account.

OK. Back to investigating more serious issues ...

What part isn't accurate? Do you mean that although the bear paused at the counter, he actually was not waiting for a low-cal sandwich? Or do you mean that the great advertisement that the chain produces did not actually pull the bear into the shop? The writer and those being quoted are obviously having some fun reporting and commenting on events.