On This edition of Oregon On The Record, we talk with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Beth Quillian about recent human/animal interactions in our community and how we can safely live with our wild neighbors.
There are almost 30,000 black bears in Oregon, 6,000 mountain lions and under 200 wolves. Seems like a lot, but all those animals would fit comfortably in Autzen stadium. And when you consider that the state is almost 100,000 square miles, the odds of you ever even seeing one of these large mammals is pretty small.
However, from time to time, humans and predatory animals do run into each other in our communities and the outcome is heavily weighted against the animal.
Look no further than the recent news of a bear in Cottage Grove that had to be killed because it had been fed by people. As human development pushes further into wilderness areas, people need to be more cognizant of the animals that were there first.
