To the editor: In her article on bear problems in the Sierra Madre, Erinn Wilson, regional manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, says the bears' behavior is a result of people moving further into the wilderness areas where the bears reside.
What he conveniently omitted, as he always does when discussing the problem, is that these bears are not native to the mountains of Southern California. The state itself imported black bears from the Yosemite area nearly 100 years ago, at a time when bear hunting was common practice.
Well, bear hunting is now out of fashion, and without being controlled by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the bear population continues to grow. There are now far more bears than can be sustained by their natural food sources in the wild, so they invade populated areas.
Yes, bears are invading people's territory.
Unless the State intervenes and does something to solve the problem it created, the situation will continue to worsen.
Don Handley, Sierra Madre
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To the editor: I was disappointed that the article about these clever bears didn't mention whether the doors they could open were actually locked.
After living most of my life in West Los Angeles, I moved to the hills and quickly learned that we can peacefully coexist with bears and deer.
In fact, the first time I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rustling in my backyard, I was relieved to find that it was just a bear and not a human.
Eduardo Delgado, Moorpark
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To the editor: The claim that bears in the mountains near Sierra Madre have learned to open doors to homes and cars is based on statements by a city attorney, who also said he did not know how it was happening.
Chances are, if the animals are learning anything, it's how to get into buildings and vehicles that are open or unlocked.
If that is the case, the problem is human behavior.
Dave Suess, Redondo Beach
