Black Bears Busted in Marijuana Raid

A few weeks ago, officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided a property near Christina Lake in Western Canada, not far from the U.S. border. They found about 2,300 marijuana plants and more than a dozen black bears guarding the stash. Well, "guarding" may not be the best term. Instead of being chased off by the bears, the mounties posed for photos a few feet away from them and watched as one sat on the hood of the cruiser for awhile before ambling away.

It's unclear whether the bears had been lured onto the property with dog food to be watchdogs or pets. The police also found a pot-bellied pig in the house and a raccoon napping in the bedroom.

It's not unusual for large wild animals to be found in connection with drug operations. They're typically acquired either to guard the illegal substances or as status symbols. They're often abused — kept in small cages, beaten and drugged. Although the black bears recently discovered wandering around the weed didn't appear to be mistreated, their future is still bleak.

Here's why it's against the law to feed bears: Once they get used to associating humans with handouts, they start coming to people for food. The increase in human-bear encounters means an increased risk for both species. Though the bears may seem friendly and tame, they're still wild animals and even experienced, dedicated "grizzly men" have learned that the hard way.

Now officials need to figure out what to do with the bears. The animals are so used to human contact that they're not likely to wander off into the woods on their own and, if they did, they wouldn't be likely to survive. It may not be realistic to find a place for all of them in sanctuaries, but there may be other options.

Hundreds to thousands of bears are killed by the government every year for the crime of spending too much time around humans. The British Columbia government is working on some progressive projects so situations like this don't have to be a death sentence. For example, moving the bears away from human-populated areas to more remote temporary feeding stations may be able to help wean them back to foraging for their own food.

Some conservation officers are worried that this group of bears may have been on their dog food diet for too long to be rehabilitated. If that's the case, they'll be destroyed, thanks to the selfishness and greed of a couple of humans. The property owners are facing drug-related and animal cruelty charges.

Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service