Ashes of two euthanized bears buried during emotional service

The Washington Times ^ | 3-7-06 | Metro

[JZelle]

RICHMOND (AP) -- Two black bears killed last month after one of them bit a child were buried this weekend at an emotional memorial service attended by 500 mourners. The bodies of the bears, euthanized to be tested for rabies after biting a 4-year-old who put his arm through the fence surrounding their 2-acre habitat, were exhumed from a landfill and cremated last week after a public outcry over their deaths intensified. "This is where they belong," said a teary Samantha Monk, 9, of Glen Allen, who joined several people in laying flowers and wreaths at the grave. "They shouldn't have been in a landfill. That's a place for trash. These bears aren't trash."

[JZelle]

A memorial service for animals? Is this a sign of the end times?

[Smedley]

I hear that bear taste a lot like pork.

[Dashing Dasher]

Not just a service - an EMOTIONAL service.

Oy Vey!

[cripplecreek]

I thought the dump was a bears natural habitat.

[najida]

I would have been there....squalling my eyes out.

And I eat Tofu too, and I hugged my trees yesterday, after picking the spring flowers I planted around them. :)

[socal_parrot]

biting a 4-year-old who put his arm through the fence

The little tyke should watch his back, PETA payback's a b!tch.

[george76]

Black bears are good at hunting children.

Black bears love to kill and eat humans.

[stuartcr]

Why would it be?

[Williams]

Oy. It's a sign that people can be indoctrinated into caring about all kinds of things. It would be better if they would care more about people, terrorism etc but they are being diverted by the kook agenda.

I know plenty of people who go around "worrying" about animals every day. It can be a real fixation for them. I love animals, love bears for that matter, but people will get angry over these bears and not give a damn if we abandon the Iraqis to Al Queda.

[theDentist]

Did we get bear-skin rugs outta the deal?

[Dashing Dasher]

Horrible story, indeed. But don't hug the trees - the squirrels get jealous - and they are MEAN!

[EBH]

Interesting response this time around.

These bears should have never been put down. They didn't break out of the enclosure etc. The parents need to be put down and the kids confined.

[joesnuffy]

Truthfully if they had just left the bear's earthyly remains out in the woods... the other bears along with skunks,possums,coyotes,hawks,crows blue jays followed by worms and bacteria...

Dammed hippies deprived some really cool animals of several hundred pounds of protein and fat..

All living creatures could have 'celebrated' the bears who
preyed on human beings lives...by eating them...

[cripplecreek]

PETA is a bunch of syrup swilling squirrel worshipers.

[freeangel]

I'm angry at the parents of the child who let it get that close. They need to be ruled as unfit parents.

[najida]

Squirrels are for lightweights...

I have Mrs. Raccoon and Mr. Possum as regular evening company ;)

[Spok]

Some people seem to find it easier to attribute human qualities to animals than unborn children, and insist that it's enlightenment.

[ItsForTheChildren]

Not when overcooked that much. :-)

[I still care]

I remember the original thread on this. A lot of people were wondering how such a young child got so close to an enclosure. The parents had a choice of having the child tested, or the bears killed. They chose the latter.

I don't really know the true story, but there was a lot of speculation it was a double fence, so how did a 4 year old get in there? Was he told to pose with the bear?

[BenLurkin]

Is this from the Onion? Scrappleface?