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Member Sharebook

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A collaborative Sharebook created by the members of Bear Necessities.
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Blog: Katmai Brown Bears Need HELP

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/9359737p-9270866c.html

This is horrendous--opening part of the refuge where hunters are shooting bears who are habituated to humans.

On October 1st the State of Alaska is allowing hunting of Brown Bears in the Katmai reserve. These are human habituated bears--photographed one minute, shot for head and hide the next.

From: "Scott Michael" <smichael@coralrealm.com>Subject: Bears in Katmai National Preserve need your help!!! October 5, 2007 The bears of Katmai National Preserve really need your help folks. Please read the letter below, from a bear-viewing guide in the area, and watch the video. They are shooting human-habituated bears. Start spreading the word. Please send to anyone you know that may be interested. Go to the National Parks Conservation Association web site: http://ga1.org/npca/alert-description.tcl?alert_id=3755212 THANKS SO MUCH!

Ursidly yours,

Scott Michael

------- ----------------------I just wanted to update you on a hot issue up here. The more gas in the fire the better. I witnessed people doing the unspeakable and I will never forget it. This was a nightmare. I assisted and accompanied a photographer from Homer to film the bear hunt in the Katmai National Preserve, adjacent to McNeil River and Katmai National Park. They kill about 35 bears during each hunting year (every other year) in this area which serves as the late season feeding grounds for McNeil and Katmai bears, mostly sows and cubs. The bears are all habituated to humans- they trust people. This "harvest" or slaughter acts as a population sink for the invaluable bears that constitute the booming bear viewing industry of the Alaska Peninsul a. It is also cruel, unethical and inhumane. I think it will be a very powerful piece. It is supposed to air tomorrow night on Channel 2 KTUU Anchorage evening news. We spent a day watching and filming the bears before the hunt, illustrating the obvious habituation to people. These were McNeil, Brooks and Katmai coast bears. Bears were everywhere, mostly sows and cubs and single females- no boars. A beautiful, young blond female hung around our camp, eating berries, fishing and bedding down in the bushes 30 yards from our camp. On the 1st we watched a party of 3 walk up to her as she carried a fish up the bank of the lake. She was oblivious to their presence until, at 20 yards or less, one man let an arrow go into her chest. The guide put two bullets into her before she disappeared into the grass and came our direction. She stood up and looked at us with a look of sheer terror 20 yards away before hiding in the alders. The guide found her and shot her 4 more times. We filmed and watched all this while set up 10 feet from our camp. The bear was killed 50 yards or less away. We then saw them gut her like a catfish, leaving the white carcass to attract more bears for the nextday's hunt. We saw and heard at least half a dozen bears killed on the 1st. As soon as first light came bullets echoed across Narrow Cove and from Battle Creek. My heart sank deeper than ever before. From the air when we left we saw bears fishing and eating berries right next to the ominous tent camps, people were skinningbears , hunting parties stalked the hills, and white bear carcasses were floating in the lake. It was a massacre. It bothered me more than I even could have imagined.We got what we wanted, but I wished I had never seen that. In a way, however, I am thankful, because it has increased my motivation to work for the cause. I got a call from a friend of mine from Iliamna who said he heard that the state troopers were on their way to arrest us, but we took off before they arrived. Our group and actions are under investigation, and we "should be expecting a visit."We were confronted by the hunters who were aggressive, there were hot words exchanged, and I wasn't very friendly to them. They want to press charges for hunter harassment which is illegal. Meghan told me last night that the park service told her that commenting on the hunt for the news piece "puts them in an awkward position since we are under investigation." Everyone wants charges to be pressed because it would bring more attention to the issue, but we did not harass the hunters, and what we did was notillegal. So it should be fine I have seen a couple plane crashes, and some very disturbing things as an EMT- this, to me, was exponentially worse.Here is the link to the footage- you need Quicktime 7. Send this letter to as many people as you can. Lets get this exposed. Help please. http://stream.qtv.apple.com/qtv/SeeMoreDZ/katmai_bear_hunt_videos_ref.mov

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Blog: Stop Trophy Hunting of Polar Bears

“Since 1994, more than 800 polar bears have been shot, stuffed, mounted, and imported into the United States by trophy hunters. The Polar Bear Protection Act (S. 1406/H.R. 2327) seeks to close a loophole in the Marine Mammal Protection Act to help protect these majestic creatures from trophy hunting.” Quoted from The Humane Society of the United States.

Sign the petition to stop this horrendous practice. Save the Polar Bear from head and pelt hunters. Please do not wait. Take at least a minute to sign the petition at PETITION to Stop Trophy Hunting of Polar Bears If you have problems with this link, copy and paste the following into your browser https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2007_polar_bear_trophy?rk=I7SQRs71eNIEE

Thank you and bear hugs, Frankie

Polar Bear News (http://www.polarbearnews.com) News & updates on Polar bear and other bear species.

Are You Polar Bear Aware? (http://www.squidoo.com/polarbearaware) Everything about polar bears from Art to Zoos, including pictures, facts, links, photos, videos, weekly polar bear cartoon from David Booth of Cabin Fever Art