Another Bear Story

A lot of people in the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs now have a bear story of their own. A black bear estimated to weigh between 125 and 150 pounds and undoubtedly male was sighted making his way through various trees in an apartment complex. He quickly drew the attention of the police, the fire department, and numerous observers, for quite some time, before he finally hopped down out of one tree and ran off. According to the news reports the crowd tried to catch him, though I don't know how they proposed to do that. This was, after all, a BEAR!

But he easily eluded them all, as bears are able to do if they get their steam up, and he was seen no more.

My reaction: "Way to go, Brother Bear!"

And I'm glad that the worst the Cleveland folks could find it in their hearts to do by way of shooting him was with a spray of water from a fire hose, which had no effect.

Some people tried to coax him down by offering him honey. I wonder in what form? From personal experience, I could've told them that bears have one chief way that they like to see honey served up to them, and that is in the form of the combs in one of your precious hives. They don't want it on a dish or a bun or anything like that. They like it accompanied by the wreckage of your hive that they have just smashed to pieces, in the privacy of night, to get to those combs.

That is their idea of a night well spent. And who would argue with that? Very few people, unless they're the kind that think that with enough help they can catch a grown, running bear, barehanded.