Academic

DON?T BLAME YOURSELF: Homeowner disagrees with euthanasia of bear. A West Knoxville woman said S?

By Glenn Reynolds

DON’T BLAME YOURSELF: Homeowner disagrees with euthanasia of bear.

A West Knoxville woman said Sunday that she may never forgive herself for the death of a black bear that was euthanized after bursting into her home.

Jennifer Stephens, a veterinarian, believes she is partly to blame for the series of events that led to the animal’s capture and death over the weekend because she’d left food outside her house for a pair of stray cats. The bear - which burst through Stephens’ front glass door after it was frightened by a neighborhood dog Wednesday night - was captured about three miles from her house on Renford Road late Saturday and subsequently euthanized.

Just before the bear came into her living room last week, Stephens was watching the bear through her glass door as it fed from the cat food she’d placed on the front porch.

Thoughts: (1) There are bears roaming West Knoxville? Actually, I’d heard that, but . . . (2) Any bear that “bursts” into my house risks becoming a rug. (3) There shouldn’t be bears roaming our suburban neighborhoods. Deadly animals and human settlements don’t mix. David Baron, call your office! And Dr. Stephens, and others who are concerned about the bear, should read his book.

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on June 08, 2009 (boomark / email).