The bears are busily bulking up for their winter hibernation at this time of year and as the cold deepens they get more desperate. A year and a half ago I built what I hoped would be a predator-proof chicken enclosure. So far we haven't lost any chickens from it.Chuck has since adopted this out-building as his smithy. It's a strong building built with proper frame construction on a robust concrete slab. But last night a bear seemed to form the misguided impression that the way to the chicken coop, attached to the back of the smithy, was through the front door of the smithy. This morning this was the scene...
Stack of boards knocked over. Five pieces of cedar siding torn off. Bottom corner of door scratched and gnawed. Flagstones dug up. Electrical cable wrenched through the particle-board sheathing on the exterior wall.
We are beginning to realize that we need a dog again.
It is interesting how different people react depending on their environment. A couple of years ago a bear was sighted close to towns in the border area of Austria and Germany (I guess there are a couple of bears in a protected area of Austria). It was the main topic on the national news for weeks! They kept chasing him around and finally ended up shooting him. I believe he ended up in a museum.
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