R.I.P. Hungry Baby Bear of San Bernardino
Updated after the jump with VIDEO of some nasty country trash and the poor baby animal who made the mistake of rummaging through it.
His only crime was a grumbly tummy
Forget immigration reform/the Armenian genocide. And traffic, for that matter. What President Obama, and the rest of SoCal, should be most outraged about this outrageous afternoon is the cold-blooded murder of a hungry baby bear in San Bernardino County.
KTLA reports that when two Forest Falls residents came upon two baby bears, who were bumbling about (cutely, we imagine) in the back of a pickup, looking for foodstuffs, the men pulled out their rifles and opened fire on the fluffy little angels.
One died at the scene, while the other pattered off, "possibly wounded."
OK guys. We hate you. But all cuteness aside: What was the point of that?
If you were scared of the mama bear, which is pretty much the only thing that could be scary about a baby bear, shooting her offspring isn't going to make her less angry. In fact, that would probably put mama in a ripe state to rip your freaking head off.
But alas, sheriff's deputies arrived before maternal revenge could be had. At which point, by KTLA's account, "the men were not immediately arrested."
Not cool. We've got a new cause today: Justice for hungry baby bear. The Department of Fish and Game is on the case; we'll keep calling until we get an answer.
Just imagine squinting through your crosshairs at this:
Update: ABC7 talked to investigators, who relayed the shooter's terrible excuse:
The homeowner told deputies that he was forced to shoot the bear out of concern for his friend, who was outside when the yearling and two other bears approached. The bears were apparently rummaging through trash in the back of a pickup truck. ...The shooting has outraged residents, who say part of living in the forest community is dealing with the bears.
Tom McIntosh of Gilmore Real Estate said the trash should never have been left out in the first place.
Things are looking up for Team Bear. The guy with the rifle will likely face charges of "unlawful take of a bear" (so glad that exists) and unlawful trash storage (equally glad).
Meanwhile, as if this thing could get any sadder, here's some heartbreaking footage of the bear bleeding out in his killer's driveway:
R.I.P. HBB.
[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]
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