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SCIENCETuesday 10 November 2015
Drought drives bears into California town in search of food
BY BRIAN MELLEY ting across roads or wad- winding up the road to ing in the middle of the gusted with the story that
ASSOCIATED PRESS ing through rivers. the park. Others chimed in night followed by gunfire. he yanked his auto repair
THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP) The four-year drought has with suggestions of where “People are shooting the shop ad from the newspa-
-- Tourists and animal lov- shriveled the berry crop in to find them. bears, there’s no doubt,” per.
ers hoping to see a bear the Sierra Nevada and led A crowd formed recently he said. “Where’s the proof?” he
in Sequoia National Park oaks on parched hillsides outside the River View res- The Kaweah Common- said. “If that were the
this fall probably stand a to produce fewer acorns, taurant to gawk at a bear wealth reported that bears case, there’d be dead
better chance of spotting forcing the bears into the up a tree. have been illegally slaugh- bears everywhere.”
one in this tiny town at the valleys carved by the Bears have climbed on tered, but game wardens State game wardens
park’s entrance. branches of the Kaweah roofs for acorns and one dismissed it as far-fetched haven’t had as many
Three Rivers is literally River that give this town its was found exploring a because of a lack of evi- complaints in this area of
crawling with hungry name. bathroom under renova- dence, such as names of central California as last
bears driven down from Water is plentiful and tion in a house. A bear tore suspects, vehicle descrip- season, when bears made
the mountains by drought it to the San Joaquin Val-
in search of food to fat- acorns carpet the ground. apart the outer walls of a tions or dead bears, Lt. ley cities of Visalia, Porter-
ten up for winter. Every- Gregory Lockhart had resident’s pump house Doug Barnhart said. ville and Bakersfield, Barn-
one seems to have photos seen one bear in 27 years and a music studio to get The account, however, hart said.
of the creatures on their until this season. Now at acorns a woodpecker has sown conflict between Residents have legally
phones or anecdotes of they’re fixtures on the golf had stowed in the siding. nature lovers and those killed bears that broke into
encounters. course out his back door Quiet nights are interrupt- who think it’s a tall tale. cabins and cars in Spring-
Chas Haws’ eyes bugged and have been spotted by ed by air horns, banging “I’m upset and sad, and I ville and Camp Nelson,
out as he recalled his sur- the pool of a guest house. on pots or a gunshot to just question, ‘Why?’” said about 25 miles south.
prise coming face to face “The park is upon us now,” scare off creatures known Kathleen McCleary, who In Three Rivers, bears have
with a bear before dawn he said. to forage 20 hours a day as noted a sense of outrage knocked over plenty of
as he walked to Antoi- One resident suggested on they prepare for long win- in some circles. “I don’t see garbage cans and raided
nette’s Coffee and Good- a town Facebook forum ter naps. But some wonder any reason to be shooting fruit trees and grape vines.
ies shop along the main that people with guests if those shots are innocent. them.” They did a number on the
road one day. seeking bears not bother Jeff Beck heard dogs bark- Darrell Fleeman was so dis- apple orchard at Shat-
He carefully stepped back ner’s Belle Reve ranch,
as the bear reared up and said caretaker Sal Natoli,
then walked away. who added that he got a
“He didn’t care about me depredation permit to kill
at all,” Haws said. “I didn’t the culprits but didn’t use
smell like a muffin - yet.” it during the two-week pe-
There’s no doubt a bear riod it was valid.
invasion is afoot in this The trees look “just like Ve-
town of 2,200 that is home nus de Milo,” the armless
to an eclectic mix of park ancient Greek statue, Na-
employees, cattle ranch- toli said.
ers, hippies, yuppies and Bear hunting season runs
artists. It is also a retreat for until Dec. 27 or when a
Hollywood types that in- statewide limit of 1,700
clude Anjelica Huston and bears is killed. The state
William Shatner. hasn’t come close to that
Most seem delighted by figure since dogs were out-
the visiting black bears - lawed in the hunt in 2013.
many brown and cinna- Gunfire may not be the
mon in color - lumbering biggest challenge for the
through grasslands, trot- bears at this point.q
