Moose Droppings

Thomasville Police Shoot & Kill Black Bear

Jun 10, 2007 @ 10:34 pm by Moose

Bears are not very common in Thomasville NC but after numerous reports of a bear wandering around town the deadly encounter seemed likely. This is the time of year when young male bears are run off by the sow bear and the young males have to find their own territory to call home. Bears are also having a rough go of it and will for some time because of the damage to many of the mast crops from an unseasonable late killing frost this past spring. With bear populations also up there is lots of competition for any available food. Bears are moving and finding their way into the urban areas in search of food and encounters with humans are also on the rise.

That was the situation officers found when they located the bear in a residential area with children playing nearby. In order to keep everyone safe a Thomasville Police Officer shot and killed the young male bear. Although you hate to see situations like this it does speak volumes of how successful North Carolina Wildlife Commission along with sportsmen of the state and other conservation groups have been in bringing a creature back that was near extinction not all that long ago.