Wildlife injuries.

[KegRiver]

Today I saw a Bear with a broken jaw.
When I first saw the Bear I had no idea it had anything wrong with it, so I stopped to take some pictures. I did that, but now I'm struggling with whether or not to post those pictures.

The whole experience was very troubling, to me.
Part of me wants to share this very unique but troubling experience. But knowing how much it bothered me to see an animal suffering like this, I wonder if it would even be appropriate.

Also, this is not something new to me. I also have photos I took of a Deer with a broken leg, a Deer with a broken jaw, a Snowy Owl with it's eye poked out, (apparently only moments before I came upon it), a dead unborn fawn laying in the middle of the highway and now this Bear.

I know that all this is a natural part of what life is really like for wildlife.
Still, it is so disturbing, I wonder what to do with such photos.

What do you folks think. Should I keep them to myself, should I post them, or should I just link them to a tread about wildlife tragedies?

[sourdough doug]

As for me, I would ask myself - self, do you really need this kind of picture,.?? do what has to be done for the animal in distress and then move on...

[New Hunter Okotoks]

I think it's all part of nature. Some good,some not so good. Not all wolves have beautiful fur but are ugly and mangy. Bald Eagles are more scavengers than majestic killers that pluck live fish from the water's surface.Etc, Etc.

Some animals are gorgeous and in their prime while some are old and mangy. Some are crippled. It's just the way life is. I like to see all aspects myself.

[Steven Noel]

IMO there is no point sugar coating nature; it's harsh and cruel and unforgiving. To assume any different is to be cheating yourself of reality in favour of living in comfort. As to the issue of posting the pictures, that decision is up to you. I however see nothing wrong with doing so.

[scudman]

Originally Posted by Steven Noel

IMO there is no point sugar coating nature; it's harsh and cruel and unforgiving. To assume any different is to be cheating yourself of reality in favour of living in comfort. As to the issue of posting the pictures, that decision is up to you. I however see nothing wrong with doing so.

x2, its life

[gramps73]

Nature is not alway little lambs and bambi's sometime it is veal..
Bears just like any other animals get hurt and die from there injuries..

[dale7637]

It's a touchy subject. I have a niece that just turned 6. We were out for a walk last night, just wandering around in the back 40, looking for sheds, watching the beavers in the creek and what not. We came across a dead deer, probably from about a day previous. She was somewhat bothered by the whole thing, as she has been raised to believe that meat does not come from animals, she thinks it comes from the grocery store. I very gently explained to her that animals eat other animals, just the same as humans eat animals.

The whole thing got me thinking about how cruel ol ma nature can be, and how much pain and suffering some animals go through before they expire. I fell that as much as it isn't pleasant, it is a fact of life.

I may have a bit of a problem with the whole thing if the bear you speak of has a broken jaw because someone was screwing around and tried to be a hero and shoot the bear in the head. I have no trouble stomaching what mother nature can put an animal through, but when it is instead caused by human negligence or stupidity I have a real problem.

As for posting the pictures, I truly feel that is a decision that is totally up to you. If you feel that some good can be done by posting those picture, them ho ahead.

[TreeGuy]

Post 'em Keg. It's amazing what animals can survive.

Twenty odd years ago back in NS, we had reports and media coverage of a kangaroo on the loose. Turned out to be a whitetail that had both front legs missing for a number of years and managed to survive.

We post pics of dead animals here constantly and unappologitcaly. Don't worry about the the 'antis'. Until we're vegan, they'll never be happy, so screw 'em.

You have the potential here for a really cool story bud.

Either way, your choice.

[pickrel pat]

ya..... post em.... we all know what you mean, but at the same time are itching to see the things in nature that you dont see everyday.

[Tundra Monkey]

Post em' up Bud.

If the bear is anywhere near people I'd give a call to your wildlife dudes and give em' a heads up as to the area you saw it. Probably pretty hungry and pizzed off right about now.

tm

[roger]

damn nature! you scary!

[roger]

Originally Posted by sourdough doug

do what has to be done for the animal in distress and then move on...

please elaborate??

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by roger

please elaborate??

I think he means to "put it out of its misery"

Lefty

[roger]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

I think he means to "put it out of its misery"

Lefty

we cant be braggin about that!!
LC, ya its a real quandry what to do legal vs moral.

[KegRiver]

I do not pack a rifle, unless I'm hunting. Too much chance of some gung-ho cop going ballistic on me.

What I did was talk to a Forest Ranger just up the road a mile. They called Byron with Fish And Wildlife for me. I give Byron all the information I had.

Byron told me that he was in Calgary today so he said he would talk to the Peace River warden to see if he could deal with it. As I see it, the situation is now in their hands.

There was a time when I would have had a gun behind the seat and I would have put it out of it's misery. But not any more.
Too many legalistic by THE BOOK judges and LEO's. Yes the law is the law, even when it's dead wrong. At least in this world it is.
There is zero room for common sense, compassion, or balance in our legal system. It's all about what some brain dead politician though was a good idea.

It made me sick to see that bear suffering like that, but I'm not going to go to jail for any bear. And my conscience is clear. I didn't write the laws, I didn't decide that common sense and reason should not apply, and I informed those who are supposed to deal with problems such as this.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Tundra Monkey

Post em' up Bud.

If the bear is anywhere near people I'd give a call to your wildlife dudes and give em' a heads up as to the area you saw it. Probably pretty hungry and pizzed off right about now.

tm

I did inform F&W.

Sadly this bear is very hungry, in fact it is close to dying from starvation.

This is an old injury, my guess is it happened last fall just before it denned for the winter.

It's coat is matted and patches are very thin. It was so week it could hardly run and it only went a short ways and sat down. Clearly it is very week, close to death.

It's been a few hours since I saw it and I still feel awful.

[pickrel pat]

mr. shram would want you to post pics.....maybe......

[KegRiver]

Here are some of the photos. These were taken over a span of about five minutes. The first was at a range of about thirty yards, the last at maybe 100 yards.
They show exactly what I saw. First it is laying down, trying to eat, then it got up and ran to the bottom of the hill. It stood there for a couple of minutes and then it sat down. A minute or so late it lay down.

I am only going to link the photos. For one I would rather not see them again for a while. I also am only going to link them in case someone who reads this thread would rather not see them.

The photos are in the order taken. I also downsized them to lessen the impact somewhat.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...e/_MG_3715.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...e/_MG_3724.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...e/_MG_3741.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...e/_MG_3748.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...e/_MG_3751.jpg

To be honest my stomach is sore from being knotted up since I first saw this animal. I don't even want to think of it again.

[New Hunter Okotoks]

Thanks for sharing Keg. Sometimes nature can be cruel,but it is what it is.

[gramps73]

Thanks for posting Keg, seeing the pictures now how do you guys think that happened?

[winged1]

and just think, after the fall season closes and we hunters are snug in our beds, MANY animals are dealing with thier injuries.

Kind of makes you want to take a stand against questionable hunting practices, even if it wasn't a hunting accident. I keep thinking 1100 metre moose.

[jimbo1]

thanks for sharing keg, yep nature sure can be cruel sometimes. its a real shame we live in a world where bueacracy stop us doing what we think best but as you said not worth doing jail over

[Steven Noel]

Thanks for posting, as much as it hurts, so does life.

[walking buffalo]

Here's a vid of a three legged sow with cubs. Some good footage for the sasquatch hunters. Tough girl.

3 Legged Bear Walking Upright

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yZ4fktcuNk

[jimbo1]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

Here's a vid of a three legged sow with cubs. Some good footage for the sasquatch hunters. Tough girl.

3 Legged Bear Walking Upright

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yZ4fktcuNk

wow you gotta admire that old girl! its amazing how tough wild animals are!

[ishootbambi]

just a young little feller too. too bad for him. he will likely die slow, and thats unfortunate.

[fluxcore]

Sometimes you have to think how many of us wouldn't be here if we never had amenities such as doctors, you brake your jaw, a leg, hit your head, get an infection ext. ext. ext ext game over!!! nature can be extremely cruel but well balanced and very hard to watch.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

just a young little feller too. too bad for him. he will likely die slow, and thats unfortunate.

Yes, poor guy is done for. But I think wolves or another bear will put him out of misery very soon.

[Young Eldon]

I doubt it was a "natural" injury - my quess is that the lower jaw was shot off last fall. The humane thing to do would be to go back there, with a F&W Officer's permission and shoot it dead ASAP.

[clarki]

I agree, there is no lower jaw on that bear. shot off for sure. IMO

M