Public safety cited as reason for shooting bear
A black bear has met an early demise after it entered a middle school campus in Heilongjiang province where it was shot to death by police.
The black bear managed to enter the walled compound of the No. 3 Middle School of Raohe County and enter a campus building early Monday morning, as seen on the school’s video surveillance system.
With school officials concerned about their safety, firefighters arrived to help evacuate students from dormitories. Police then opened fire on the black bear.
Police said they had originally intended to tranquilize the bear, but were forced to open fire when the bear started acting erratically. No word on what will happen to the carcass, whose animal parts are highly prized in China.
Located on the border with Russia, Raohe County has experienced several black bear encounters before. This past August, a black bear was subdued with a tranquilizer dart and released into the wild after stirring up panic among locals.
Due to an “improved environment” in the area, reports say the activity of black bears and other wild animals have increased in the area mostly by crossing over from Russian territory into Chinese, a trend that has been most sensationalized by reports that two Siberian tigers personally released by Russian President Vladimir Putin have been captured on Chinese territory.
Police in China have not been known to take chances when they feel public safety is threatened by a wild animal.Last month, police in Anhui discharged their guns more than 20 times in order to subdue a loose lion on a highway. Back in February, police in Chengdu rammed to death a runaway bull with their vehicle after they deemed it a threat to public safety.
Source: China News, Yangcheng Evening Report, Youth.cn, People's Daily Online, China, People's Daily Online, Sohu News
Photos: Youth.cn, People's Daily Online
Tags: Animal Rights, black bear,Heilongjiang, Shenzhen Railway Police,shooting death
Charles Liu
The Nanfang's Senior Editor
https://thenanfang.com/black-bear-shot-death-entering-heilongjiang-school-campus/
