And The Heavens Cried

Bad news today. A while ago, I mentioned a grizzly mom and her cubs that ended up missing after a very unpleasant encounter with a hunter near Gardiner, Montana. Finally, the bears have been located. The mother is dead. Her jaw was shot off by the hunter. The 2 orphaned cubs were still roaming around near their dead mother.


First, I thought what a terrible story for both the man and the bears. Later I thought,"Have I gone soft on my anti-hunting views or what? Wake up!"

This hunter was out sneaking around the woods in bear country. Out to kill unsuspecting black bears when he rudely disturbed the grizzly family preparing for winter. Every hunter that I have ever "talked" to about black bear hunting said they do it for fun and sport, not for meat because it is not a good tasting meat at all. He is lucky to be alive. Perhaps he will even brag it up to his hunting buddies about killing the griz mom. "In self defense" my a**. The guy was somewhere he shouldn't be in the first place for no reason other than "sporting fun". The bear tried her best to protect her family from this hunter. She did not try to stalk and intentionally kill him like he was doing to black bears.

So, the sneaking hunter with death on his mind gets mauled in defense. The hunter shoots the bear. The man goes to the hospital and gets patched up, gets to live on a diet of painkillers as he heals up. Warm and comfy in his bed. People feel sorry for him. The attention gives a negative, more fearsome image to bears everywhere. The bear wanders off. Shot and in great pain. Can't eat with a shot off jaw. She must have been starving to death. Can't help her cubs get food either. They are probably a lot hungrier than when mom was doing well. The trail of blood from the bear probably arouses other hungry animals waiting for a chance to get the weakened bear or her cubs, or both. The mom bear finally dies-starving and in pain, knowing her cubs are suffering. A few people like myself mourn the bear's loss and worry about the cubs. The stupidity of sport hunting is truly sickening. I think God cried.

Now the 2 orphaned cubs are left alone in a harsh world with no protection. Bigger grizzlies are awfully hungry this time if year. Will the cubs find a den and enough food for winter? Not to mention the mental stress on the cubs. Animals do feel grief; many documented incidents show this (not that I need to read them to know that but for the skeptics...). I do believe they are cubs-of-the-year (meaning born this year). Say a prayer for this prematurely broken grizzly family.

Good-bye mamma bear; see you on the other side one day.

(Photo: NPS archives 1966, not the newly orphaned cubs)