Shame that this innocent bear was killed

On Monday morning, May 10, when I heard that a large black bear up a tree in a suburban neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, was respectfully tranquilized and taken away to be released after being tagged by wildlife agents waiting for him to safely recover, I was overjoyed that a wild creature was cared for, saved, and released.

That evening I was appalled to see that a grown black bear was killed by police in Lacey, Washington, with no attempt to help him return to where he belonged.

• Why was the Department of Fish and Wildlife not called until after this magnificent creature had been killed?
• Why are the police not trained and equipped to protect wildlife by tranquilizing them until help can arrive to safely move them?

If the police were worried about people, they could have insisted that they go to their cars or stay in their houses. I was deeply disappointed with the way in which this situation was handled.

We have wild animals all around us in Washington and need to respect and assist them, not kill them, when they wander among us. I live on Tiger Mountain south of Issaquah and we see bears frequently. They mind their own business and live among us peacefully and we are overjoyed to see them doing well. We have no fear of them and know to stay away from mother bears and their babies. We have only joy when we see them.

I hope the people of Lacey and everyone else feels shame that this innocent bear was killed and hope that this never happens again.

~ Eda Lee Haas, Issaquah