Directly across the blacktop, a bear “totalled”(according to AAA) the Subaru Forester owned by Carl Butz. Further east on Pearl Street, the homes of Carrie and Gerald Blakley plus Cassie Koch were invaded. As noted in this week’s Sheriff’s Blotter, a bear missing teeth and body parts (poached) was found along Saddleback Road, a short distance west of Downieville. Accordingly, speculation is rife in town about this bear being the mother of the cub thought to be responsible for raiding properties on Pearl Street. Unfortunately, if the orphaned bear is trapped then it will be euthanized. Taking the critter out to, say, Poker Flat, several miles north of Downieville, according to Wildlife Service experience, would be a worthless effort. In a day or two, the bear would return to town and resume its invasive practices.
On Wednesday afternoon, 9/6, George Affonso, Wildlife Specialist (Trapper) for the USDA’s Wildlife Service unit in Lassen County, is seen while starting to bait the bear trap set on Pearl Street in Downieville.DOWNIEVILLE — Following a rash of at least four bear break-ins along Pearl Street over the past week, yesterday, a trap was placed by the feds along the pavement within a few yards of where the inside of Jim Roos’s home was seriously vandalized by a bear.
The “guillotine” gate to the bear trap baited with sweets and sardines is designed to drop only after an animal weighing more than 100 pounds fully enters the enclosure to check out the goodies.