I have never written to an editor before but I am so outraged with our animal-control people that I had to voice my opinion for the poor voiceless animals in our area. A few weeks ago I was appalled at our animal-control officers when they darted a frightened bear 60 feet up in a tree in Kennydale. It fell and was badly injured. What did they think it would be? Or did they even think? It cost us taxpayers a lot of money to have the poor bear’s broken bones repaired, not to mention the pain of the poor bear.

I thought that maybe animal control had learned a lesson and would leave the bears alone in the future. Boy was I wrong!! They did it again to a poor little frightened cub. They darted it and it fell and broke its jaw and had to be separated from its mother and repaired by a vet, costing the taxpayer again! Don’t they have any training or know anything about animals or have any compassion for wildlife? I beg animal control to leave the bears and other wildlife alone in the future. They will go on their way, unless threatened or frightened by humans. Wouldn’t it be better to educate the community and animal-control people on safe ways to observe and appreciate the beauty and wonders of nature than to injure and destroy it? I would much rather see taxpayers’ money well spent on educating the public about wildlife than to see it spent on having to repair their broken bones after we terrorize and injure them.

Linda Harris Kennydale