Bear kills pony

[SHOOT1SAM]

Thought this was interesting:

Bear Kills Pony in New Jersey
Friday, March 18, 2005

ANDOVER, N.J. — Wildlife officials set a trap, baited with bacon and molasses, in hopes of catching a bear Friday that killed a pony and dragged its carcass away.

"No other animal would have the strength to do that kind of harm," said Elaine Makatura, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection (search).

The owner found the pony's body Thursday at her farm in Sussex County (search) in northern New Jersey. The 15-year-old pony, named Phantom, suffered a broken neck and was dragged through two electric fences and up a hill.

Bear prints (search) were found.

"It was a big, big print," Patrolman Rod Mosner said. "It's amazing [the bear] had that much strength and power to drag a pony that far."

The pony weighed at least 250 pounds.

This time of year, bears are starting to leave the dens where they hibernated in winter, and spring plants have not grown enough to be a substantial food source, wildlife officials said.

 

[firesafety3]

awesome animal.

 

[EghtySx]

I don't get the horse thing.

Why do they call it a "pony" if it's 15 years old?
Why does it only weigh 250lbs?
I guess it would have to be a shetland?

 

[middy]

A pony is a small breed of horse, not a young horse. A young horse is called a foal or a colt.

250 pounds is very small, though, even for a Shetland. Perhaps they meant to say 250 Kg. Or perhaps it was a miniature of some kind.

 

[Bear Gulch]

Bears will do that. Oh, I forgot and thoug about bears as a omnivorous predator and not a cute, fuzzy anthropomorphic cartoon character.

BTW bears are also tasty!

 

[Standing Wolf]

Thank heaven bear season was cancelled there to prevent cruelty to animals!

 

[wasrjoe]

250 pounds is very small, though, even for a Shetland. Perhaps they meant to say 250 Kg. Or perhaps it was a miniature of some kind.

Maybe they weighed it after the bear got to it...

 

[joebogey]

It may well have been a Shetland, as folks are breeding them smaller and smaller as novelty pets for folks with big back yards.
Some miniatures go for really outrageous prices now a days. A big bear would have no problem dragging one off.

 

[WT]

I just saw the owner interviewed on TV. The pony stood about 2 feet tall at the shoulder. Not all that big. However, the bear came back the next day and started looking over the full size horses. Guess it likes horsemeat.

 

[stevelyn]

I've seen where grizzlies have dragged full-grown moose carcasses several yards to hide them.

 

[PaleRyder]

In a related incident (hunting being cancelled), the animal rights idiots want zoos banned.
I guess they want animals like chimps and tigers to go completely extinct.

Shoot that *&^ bear.

 

[steveno]

to bad about the horse but I hope a bunnyhugger's kid owned it and then have the kid ask why

 

[Randy in Arizona]

I suppose it would be Politically Incorrect for the owner or a friend to ballistically counsel the bear as to the error of it's ways?

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

Well, if the bear has come back and is looking over the full size horses, it's probably thinking something along the lines of...."Those are the biggest pigs I've ever seen!"

 

[JimC]

More local info...

Miniature horse killed by bear

Same bear?

Phantom was listed as a miniature horse. This location is only a few miles up the road North of me.

The bears are coming out of hibernation now and they are hungry. More will be seen in the area in coming weeks. You just have to learn how to live with them and no, the NJ bear hunt was not the answer.

 

[carpettbaggerr]

You just have to learn how to live with them

Just like Ranger Smith

and no, the NJ bear hunt was not the answer.

Sure. Obviously you wouldn't want to do anything to control a growing population of large, dangerous predators. Or do anything which would make them fear humans.

 

[carebear]

Black bears in NJ hibernate all winter?

Some of 'em up here will go out walking if it gets in the '40's for a couple days.

Got stalked by one once in Jan. or Feb. years ago, we had Kabars and blanks with cleaning rod sections for defense. Started packing the .357 or .45 from then on.

 

[jacketch]

Phantom was listed as a miniature horse.

A partial miniature horse and a dead one to boot

Shoot the bear.

 

[JimC]

The bear involved in this incident was automatically catagorized as a level 1 bear which means he/she will be killed when/if caught.

That in itself brings up another question. The state has set out traps to catch "the bear."
How do they know, without positive ID, that it is "the bear" that killed the horse?

So, do you just kill a bear that was caught in a trap because you "think" it is "the bear." What if you do kill it and then another pet is killed by a bear, do you kill bears until you get "the right bear?" Or do you just kill all the bears in Andover to keep people happy?

This is really a tragic incident but, this is Mother Nature at work. The bear most likely came out of hibernation and was hungry, the horse was an easy source of food. Sad but true.

Sure. Obviously you wouldn't want to do anything to control a growing population of large, dangerous predators. Or do anything which would make them fear humans.

It may not apply in this case but...move back to the city or wherever it was that you came from. There is no need to kill an animal just because it is in the way. Learn to live with them.

 

[The_Antibubba]

baited with bacon and molasses

WHY? They've got a perfectly good pony carcass thatisn't being used for anything else...

 

[WT]

For identification they use the captured bear's DNA and compare it to the DNA left behind on the pony carcass.

Of course, a court order is required to obtain the DNA sample. The captured bear can be represented in court and can plead the 5th.

 

[SIGarmed]

So they leave out perfectly good pony meals for the bear and when it eats one they want to kill it? Sounds nutty to me.

 

[joebogey]

So they leave out perfectly good pony meals for the bear and when it eats one they want to kill it?

I think it mentioned that the bear dragged the carcass through several electric fences. I wouldn't call leaving your pony in a fenced pasture, "leaving out a perfectly good pony meal".
I imagine if this had happened to some of the forum members' world class bird dogs, the sentiment would be quite different.

 

[Firethorn]

Seriously, they have some paw prints, they probably use that.

 

[carpettbaggerr]

There is no need to kill an animal just because it is in the way. Learn to live with them.

How far shall we go? One horse? One dairy cow? A prize steer? Several head of cattle? Your children?

It's going through 2 electric fences, how should we 'Learn to live with them'? Get used to it killng livestock, and hope it doesn't start on family members?