Ky. lawmakers consider getting tough on bad bearsby The Associated Press, found at The Herald-Dispatch
December 29, 2009FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Dangerous bears could be shot if they get within 30 yards of a home under a proposal that will be presented to lawmakers next month.
State Rep. Rick Nelson, D-Middlesboro, said he will be pushing the legislation to protect Kentucky residents from criminal prosecution if they shoot black bears that they believe pose a danger.
Nelson said he’s had calls from constituents who have been unable to walk from their homes to their cars because of bears were ransacking garbage cans or eating from bird feeders and pet food bowls.
“It makes you a prisoner in your own home,” he said. “There seems to be conflicting statutes about what a person can do. Under existing law, if there is a bear on your property, you can actually shoot it, but fish and wildlife folks make the determination if they feel you were justified.”
Nelson is proposing a change that justifies shooting bears if a person “reasonably believes” the action is necessary to protect against death or serious injury.
More than a century ago, bears thrived in Kentucky’s mountain region, but over-hunting and habitat loss led to their disappearance. Over the past 20 years, they have been venturing back into Kentucky from the forests of neighboring states like Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/briefs/x818843311/Ky-lawmakers-consider-getting-tough-on-bad-bears
