Growing ursine invasions becoming unbearable

In the 17 years the Hyde family has lived at the edge of a national forest, bears have broken into their garage three times, but nothing prepared them for what they found in July after returning from five days of wilderness camping.

The front window of their sturdy mountain home had been smashed, and when Danny Hyde, a school principal, opened the front door, he discovered that a bear and two cubs had taken up residence. They were still inside, having ripped out cupboards, emptied the refrigerator and feasted on molasses, Fig Newtons, Thin Mints, Cool Whip, ice cream, honey and chicken chow mein. After Hyde yelled, they bolted out an open window. It took seven people five hours to shovel out the mess.

The Lake Tahoe area is experiencing a rise in home invasions by bears. Years of humans' feeding bears and available garbage have urbanized black bears, and a drought last winter has aggravated the problem. And some people fear that one of the measures intended to fend off the bears has actually helped increase the break-ins.

Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League, which promotes human-bear co-existence, estimates there are five bear break-ins around Lake Tahoe every night. Jason Holley, a wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game, believes the number is twice that.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/03/BAOTRC7NR1.DTL

"Growing urine invasion"? (You have to forgive me because I'm old).

I've earned my pev status for the day!

That oatmeal story....doesn't Goldilocks come to mind? Most Indian tribes who dealt with bears always said how they seemed like mankind with fur and had great respect for them. Bears and buffalos were the ultimate cool animals. Okay, wovles too.