Bear euthanized in Underhill displayed 'exceptionally rare' predatory behavior

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https://vtdigger.org/2024/05/31/bear-euthanized-in-underhill-displayed-exceptionally-rare-predatory-behavior/

Bear euthanized in Underhill displayed ‘exceptionally rare’ predatory behavior

Vermont has seen a dramatic increase in human-bear interactions over the past decade, as climate change and human food-conditioning change bear behavior.

By Theo Wells-Spackman
May 31, 2024, 5:49 pm

Vermont game warden Jeremy Schmid got a call last Friday about an aggressive bear in Underhill. When he arrived at the scene, Schmid easily recognized the 100-pound animal. It was a repeat offender, attracted that morning by recycling outside the front door of the house.

“Warden Schmid decided to euthanize the bear for concerns with public safety,” said Lt. Robert Currier, the Northwestern district’s head game warden for the state Fish and Wildlife Department.

Currier also noted that the animal had previously “displayed similar aggressive behavior towards another homeowner in the area.”

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In Underhill on Friday morning, he said, the bear began to approach and circle Schmid “in a predatory stance,” while “chomping his jaws several times.” For Currier, this behavior is concretely aggressive.

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1. Habitats are shrinking

The bears know encroachment when they see it.