How the Parks Service is using DNA evidence to exonerate bears
In the United States鈥� criminal justice system, defendants are declared innocent until proven guilty.
And rangers with the National Park Service have decided this principle should apply to bears as well. 聽
When park employees and local park visitors learned that multiple bears were killed mistakenly in the last two years at the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, they were devastated. To alleviate these accidental kills, rangers at the 800-square mile park are now using Western Carolina University鈥檚 DNA lab to quickly analyze attack sites before killing a suspected bear.聽
鈥淲e never want to kill a bear if we don鈥檛 have to,鈥� NPS spokeswoman Dana Soehn . 鈥淚t鈥檚 the very symbol of the park.鈥�
Previous forensic studies of bear attacks would take weeks to process, far longer than rangers could humanely hold a bear. But easy access to WCU鈥檚 DNA lab means faster results for park officials, and the park has established an agreement with the Knoxville Zoo to hold a bear if the results are taking longer than usual.
鈥淥ne of the reasons why people come to the Smokies is for the opportunity to ,鈥� adds Ms. Soehn. 鈥淪o we know it鈥檚 a really special thing for them to see, and we want people to have that chance to see wild bears. But at the same time, we want them to be safe.鈥�
But does pursuing capital punishment for past attackers really help keep people safe?
Chris Servheen, Montana鈥檚 grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, that there is a difference between bears with 鈥渘atural aggression鈥� and 鈥渦nnatural aggression.鈥澛�
To begin with, says Mr. Servheen, the bears who attack humans are the outliers. Bears "have every ability to prey on us, but they're wary of us. Ninety-nine point nine percent of bears stay away from people, and that's how they survive," he adds.聽
As for the offenders, many of the attacks can be attributed to humans, who either approach a bear without caution or knowingly aggravate the animal. But the rest of the guilty bears, those that attack more maliciously, show 鈥渦nnatural aggression鈥� and will likely attack again.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e preyed on something that鈥檚 vulnerable, they鈥檝e been successful, and they鈥檝e received a reward,鈥� says Servheen. 鈥淎nd we don鈥檛 tolerate those cases at all.鈥�
The ethics of bear "court" have been argued by hikers, conservationists, and park visitors alike. When Lance Crosby was killed in Yellowstone Park last year by a mother grizzly bear and her cubs, : some wanted revenge for Mr. Crosby鈥檚 death, while others argued that hikers in national parks enter bears鈥� territories at their own risk.聽
And the push for DNA testing by rangers at Great Smokey Mountains National Park comes after a fatal incident in Montana when Brad Treat, a law enforcement officer with the US Forest Service, was killed by a grizzly bear while riding his bike near Glacier National Park Wednesday afternoon.聽
To avoid bear attacks, properly storing food, minimizing body scents, carrying bear or pepper spray, staying on designated paths, and traveling in groups. If a bear crosses your path, never run.聽
This report contains material from the Associated Press.
