"I have looked upon those brilliant creatures, And now my heart is sore." - from a poem by William Butler Yeats
I just heard that someone killed a 600-pound black bear not far from here, with a bow and arrow. He could have been our visiting bear, the very one I watched casually amble along the entire length of our sidewalk last fall. His size and beauty took my breath away, and I was amazed at how quietly and gracefully he slipped into the underbrush. Bears are pretty rare in these parts and it is exciting to see one, but some humans lobbied relentlessly until they were granted permission to hunt them. What could possibly motivate someone to kill a rare and beautiful animal? Did he do it to get meat to feed his family? No, this was a killing for killing's sake, most likely motivated by a craving to bring home a huge trophy animal and mount its head on the wall. These animals deserve respect, and they have a right to live. Rest in peace, beautiful bear, I hope your suffering was brief.
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