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Making A Mountain Out Of A Mole Trap? Facts Laid Bear By City Parks Official

NextDoor.com

Reports of a bear trap found in Hendricks Park aren’t accurate, an official says.

Earlier this week, a Eugene resident posted on a local chat site about finding a “coil spring trap” hidden with fern branches near an open grassy area. Adding to the concern was an animal print nearby that the poster suggested could be from a bear.

Local agencies - including the Eugene Police Department - were contacted about the device.

Kelly Shadwick is with the City of Eugene’s Parks and Open Space Division.  She says the device is actually a mole trap, and poses no risk to park visitors.

“It’s something that’s buried in the ground and is really only tripped by something coming up from underneath the ground," she explained to KLCC.

"We even mow over these traps so they’re not a danger. But that would be a concern to someone if they saw that.”

Shadwick says there’s been no bears ever sighted in Hendricks Park.  And if there was ever a confirmed bear sighting, they would probably respond with a call to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and not set large traps out for it.

The original post has since disappeared.  At its peak, it was shared to 34 neighborhoods, according to Nextdoor.com

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016.   In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
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