Scarface, Yellowstone's Most Famous Bear, Illegally Shot Dead

[Tab]

Scarface is dead. Not the ruthless drug kingpin of pop culture fame, but the beloved grizzly of Yellowstone, who was a favorite among parkgoers. The aged bruin—he was 25 years old—was illegally shot by a hunter just outside the park boundary near Gardiner, Montana late last year. Grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and are off limits to hunting.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks confirmed recently in a release that the dead bear was indeed Bear No. 211, as he was known by researchers and park officials. No. 211 was famous among tourists and photographers, who gave him his nickname because of the gnarly scars and floppy right ear he had accrued over his decades of scraps with other male grizzlies over mates and elk carcasses.

His life was also heavily documented by park officials who captured and collared him repeatedly 17 times throughout the years. At his peak, he tipped the scale at a hulking 600 pounds, but had slimmed to about half that in recent times, weighing 338 pounds in 2015. The Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks department attributes this to his advanced age, noting that only 5 percent of male bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem survive to age 25.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials have already started an investigation to find out who Scarface's killer is. Grizzly bears are listed as "threatened" under the ESA. The punishment for killing a threatened species is stiff—up to a $25,000 fine and six months in prison. Killing an animal listed as "endangered" is even worse,, with perpetrators facing a $50,000 fine and a year in prison.
More: http://www.popsci.com/scarface-yellowstones-most-famous-bear-is-shot-dead

Any dentists been to Yellowstone lately?

[HuckleB]

1. Ugh. This is horrific.

Carl Safina's most recent book brings this type of ugly human act to the light of day in so many ways. We are terrorizing our fellow animals.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/15/from-apes-to-elephants-wolves-to-whales-a-tour-of-animals-minds-and-emotions/?_r=0

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. That is a terrible shame.

Some yahoo with a gun, no doubt.

I am so disgusted and angry that I cannot really express how I'm feeling about the destruction of this beloved bear.

K&R

[NCTraveler]

4. It really is a greater sign toward how easy it is for some to destroy life.

I can't imagine shooting that beautiful bear with anything other than a camera. I spend a lot of my weekends in my garden for one reason, I love watching things grow and helping to foster that growth. I know so many who are similar to me in that regard. Stories like this seem so senseless.

[callous taoboy]

3. I sometimes really loathe my species.

[KamaAina]

5. Isn't Cheney from Wyoming?

[HuckleB]

7. Yeah, but I think Cheney only shoots at objects wearing orange hunting coats.

[FlatBaroque]

8. hmm...the bear does look like he was shot in the face...

too soon?

[rhett o rick]

9. The only way Cheny would get close enough to someone that might fight

back would be in an armored vehicle.

[polly7]

6. Ooooh

What a beautiful bear. So sad.

[rhett o rick]

10. So someone shot him and then left him? Sick bastard. nm

[maxsolomon]

11. likely he shot him, saw it was a collared grizz, and split as fast as possible

probably thought it was a black bear, although they're pretty easy to tell apart. if he keeps his trap shut, he'll probably get away with it. yes, I'm assuming it was a he.

we had a kid up here on his first bear hunt that killed a woman hiking. shot her ON THE TRAIL. 14 years old, supervised by his 17 year old brother.

"hunting culture", an essential part of our 2nd am. rights.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. They need to check out the dentist and/or Trump's trophy hunting kids first.

[2naSalit]

12. Sad.

The pictures I have of him look like his right ear was not even there. Someone hosed him with bear spray last year for no reason except the humans saw him and nailed him with bear spray, closed a popular trail for weeks because of it. He roamed the whole park too, he was a well known character.

[Skittles]

14. gun humping coward

[rockfordfile]

15. A gun culture

The person should receive more than one year in prison.

[Mendocino]

16. Support the right

to arm bears.

[bullwinkle428]

17. I really fantasize about a fellow bear tracking down the poacher scum, and opening

up a can of "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!"

[Judi Lynn]

18. How can anyone defend people who would deliberately harm other beings?

Some of them get really huffy, really fired up attacking non-hunters, but deliberate cruelty, intentionally causing pain to a living being is evil.

A person of conscience could not be at ease, or at peace around them.

The bear should have been allowed to live out his own life with no interference.