I just confirmed from a reliable source, that Conservation Officers shot him. He was a menace to traffic. A black blob, laying on black road surface, was eventually going to meet up with a night time driver who was travelling too fast.
That, or someone would get scratched or bitten.
It's sad. The type of human who trained him into becoming a nuisance would likely be the most vocal in attacking the Conservation Officers for shooting that bear.
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On my return trip from Winnipeg to The Pas last Tuesday, as I approached the junction of Highways 10 and 60, I noticed a black blob on the lane to my left. As I got closer, it was obvious that this blob was actually a bear. There was no traffic so I slowed nearly to a stop and rolled down the driver’s window. Seeing this, the bear got to his feet and started shuffling his way to the side of my car. He wasn’t doing this in an aggressive fashion, but I was busy fumbling with my cell phone, the steering wheel and the gear shift. Not wanting my car (or me) to get scratched, I drove forward about 30 feet and stopped. Immediately as soon as I started forward, he turned around and resumed lying stretched out on the pavement.
That is when I took the first picture that you see here.
I backed up to where I was abreast of him and I took the subsequent pictures. He was laying there, basking in the sunshine, soaking up the warmth of the pavement.
That is when I hollered at him. “Jack Ass!” I said. “Some son of a she dog is going to shoot you or some Mr. Magoo driver is going to run right over you! Get out of here!” He didn’t budge and if he even moved at all, he just gave his head a little tilt, sort of sideways. You know...the way that your wife does when you are having a really earnest conversation with her, when you are making your absolutely best plea about something, but you know that she is not going to listen to your advice.
So I had to reach for something that would snap him into action. I tried an insult. “Pamper Snacker!” I yelled. “Get out of here! You’re going to be a dead bear!” It doesn’t show in the photos but just as I yelled “Pamper Snacker!”, he licked his lips right from one side of his jaw to the other.
Now, to be fair about it, he seemed to be already in the middle of a yawn so I can’t really say that he was drooling over the thought of a lumpy Pamper when I hollered. The point is that he didn’t leave. I drove away with him relaxing there on the pavement. He was as indifferent to me as I would be if I were stretched out on a beach in Mazatlan in February and some tourists were telling me how much it had snowed at home.
OK, now for the rewards part. The junctions of Highways 10 and 60 is about 50 miles from the nearest settlement. That bear must have been offered food by passing drivers. He seems to be as tame as the neighbours’ St. Bernard and he would make about as worthy a trophy. However, somebody will shoot him...either out of sheer cussedness, or naiveté...or he will be run over, or, somebody will tease him with food and they’ll get scratched or bitten.
He’s a bear walking the Green Mile.
So, I am offering $100 to any person who meets up with him and gives him a face full of pepper spray, prolonged as possible. I’ll even pay that reward each time that they do it. He just MIGHT get trained in time to show him that humans are to be avoided. That is my “junior reward”.
Now for the big one. I’ll give $500 to anyone who videotapes himself pepper-spraying the occupants of a vehicle while they are feeding that bear. In fact, I’ll even double that reward if he tapes them afterwards, in the ditch on their knees, washing their faces with ditch water. I want copyright for the tape or chip, though, because I want to be able to play it over lots for my own enjoyment and be able to share it with others.
Now that I've got that rant out of my system, let's just say that pepper spraying occupants of a vehicle who are feeding that bear would be a criminal offence. Those people may be contemptible, but it would bring on a whole load of trouble to the person doing the spraying. Don't do it. If you share my views on the matter, content yourself with envisioning the scenario I described. That's what I have to do.
Do you have bear suicide helplines out up there?? 
