m iThe bare facts Big, lumbering and slightly myobic,

iThe bare facts

Big, lumbering and slightly myobic, the black bear, (the inly type of bear in Virginia,) has certainly made his presence Known in Rappahannock this summer. They have come down from the mountains in droves, alone or often with their cubs, Ji search of food as they lfegin the process of getting ready for A long, cold winter.

A shortage of acorns due to the Gypsy moth blight, plus Jhe lure of juicy peaches and apples, attract the hungary Animals, although they have been known to dine on a chicken •r two when the opportunity presents itself.

Thus far, trapping specialist Jerry Blank has trapped Close to 100 bears this year, 24 of which have been in Rappahannock. According to Mr. Blank, the bears are fairly f asy to trap, even when it’s a mother with her cubs. The black bear has never been known to attack a human in Virginia, lowever, said Mr. Blank, they are wild animals and you must Jave a healthy respect for them. One swipe of a paw could take off a man’s head.

While the bears present a great nuisance for orchard •wners and farmers and can certainly get your blood pumping prhen they turn up on your back porch, the humane treatment these animals receive is commendable. Tranquilized, tagged and relocated to other areas of Virginia where the bear population needs bolstering, the bears are not released until they have completely recovered from all tranquilizer effects tn order to give them every advantage in their new pnvironment.

According to Mr. Blank, Shenandoah National Park has the largest number of bears per square mile than any other park and the largest population in the eastern part of the Country. While orchard owners might not be delighted with that bit of news in that the damage to their trees impacts |heir revenues, it is heartening to hear that some parts of our environment are thriving despite the onslaught of man-made pollution that threatens our park and its ecosystems.