A Bear Charges Children in Twin Falls Park

Did you know that the pelt of a bobcat is the only spotted big cat fur you can possess?  It’s something I learned over the weekend at City Park in Twin Falls.  Bobcats aren’t endangered.

Idaho Fish and Game threw a party to mark its 125^th anniversary.  It was a family event, with all hands on deck for the agency.  Fish and Game wasn’t alone.  The U.S. Forest Service had a tent and staff also answered questions from the public.  There were wildlands firefighters there too.

The one exhibit that appeared to mesmerize the children was a motorized robot bear.  It charges at lightning speed, and participants try their best to hose it with bear spray as it approaches.  Unlike shooting a gun, this isn’t something you can routinely practice on a range.  In real life, you would have perhaps just a few seconds to react, and you would want the spray within quick reach.  Storing it in a backpack wouldn’t help much in an emergency.

A grizzly bear can run at a steady 30 miles per hour.  An apex predator is a good description.  A line I remember from a former Fish and Game spokesman is that if you’re hunting a grizzly, it’s also hunting you.

Fish and Game isn’t supported by Idaho taxpayers.  It operates solely on a budget generated by license fees.  Hunters and fishermen keep the outfit afloat.

The children who attended the event will fund future operations.  Exposing them to fishing and hunting increases the odds they’ll take up the pursuits later in life, and assist in wildlife management. Otherwise, the burden will fall on future taxpayers.

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