To the editor: I’m horrified and saddened to be taught that the California Division of Fish and Wildlife licensed the killing of a mom bear in Monrovia (“Bear euthanized, her cubs left orphaned, over objections of Monrovia city leaders,” March 17). Why does the division proceed to punish animals for doing nothing greater than present? This determination was made regardless of native officers calling for the relocation of the animal. Who did they kill this bear for? It was past merciless.
Pressures from habitat loss, local weather change and different varieties of human encroachment are forcing bears and different animals into suburban areas an increasing number of often. This isn’t the fault of the animals. They’re surviving within the habitat that’s out there to them.
Now the bear’s two cubs should be rehabilitated and rereleased into the wild. Whereas we hope for the perfect, these cubs face a harder future with out the steerage of their mom. The assets to rewild the cubs would have been put to higher use by simply relocating the mom bear and cubs to a different space to start with.
I admire the work that the division does to implement legal guidelines that defend our wildlife, however I’m baffled by this merciless and, frankly, lazy determination to kill the Monrovia bear. Many Californians are heartbroken over the lack of this lovely mama bear. CDFW should do higher for us and our wildlife.
Judie Mancuso, Laguna Seaside
This author is founder and president of animal advocacy nonprofit Social Compassion in Laws.
