From ADN:
Vandergaw, who for 20 years lured, fed and coexisted with black and grizzly bears at his remote Yentna River cabin, pleaded guilty last week to the misdemeanor charges. District Court Judge John Wolfe accepted a plea deal that Vandergaw, 71, hammered out with prosecutors that included 180 days of suspended jail time, the fine and three years probation.
Before he was sentenced in the Palmer courtroom, Vandergaw told the judge he tries not to be a bad person. The conflict over "Bear Haven," as his property is called, has taken a toll on his family and he wishes he hadn't involved so many other people, he said.
Vandergaw was known for living in close interaction with the bears, which roamed his property and often entered his home. Photographs show him and visitors playing with and petting the animals.
"I've had a storybook existence," Vandergaw said. "I've had a chance to live in a different environment. I never looked at myself as a person who could go out and take a piece of land and then deny the creatures the right to be there."
As some of you who have been visiting here for the last few years probably already know, Mr. Vandergaw was my science teacher in high school and I have written about him several times in the past.
These posts have continued to receive quite a lot of attention and elicit comments form people all over the world (Including Mr. Vandergaw's younger brother who corrected my mistaken belief that Charles and his brother Glen were twins.)
After this decision I hope that Mr. Vandergaw can move on with his life now and follow the advice he gave me back in high school, to "stay out of trouble". However I also know he is a very proud and stubborn man, so I would not be at all surprised to hear that "Bear Haven" was still open for business among the arctos horribilus on the Yentna River Valley.
For Mr. Vandergaw's sake I certainly hope that he finds something else to do with his time, but I kind of have my doubts.
Vandergaw is doing a diservice to these wild animals by removing their fear of humans.
ReplyDeleteI hate these kind of stories. They always end in tragedy. Remember the crazy "Grizzly Man"? He actually set up camp on a bear trail. Getting eaten by a bear is not the way you want to go. These animals should be left to their own devices. And I agree with Anon 7:42, Vanergaw is putting the bears at risk to be killed, maimed etc. by losing their fear of humans---and we humans are indeed a deadly lot.
ReplyDeleteAhhh but the fear of man came from the hunting of animals... not from man walking beside them.
ReplyDeleteI choose to walk beside and among the creatures of the world, and I need not live in fear.
Hey Gryphen do you have a link to help pay for the cost of Charlies fine?
I am with you Tyroanee, Vandergrew lived in a remote area. Better to live peaceably among the animals.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of fine do poachers receive for maiming and killing animals in a non-responsible way?
The fear of people came from hunting. The fear of bears, mountain lions, rattle snakes, etc. came from good sense.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe there are people that walk the earth that have Dr. Doolittle-like qualities. Charlie Vandergaw is one of those people. There is no way he could have this kind of contact with these massive beautiful animals if he were not communicating with them...He has a gift and I hope he continues to use it.
ReplyDeletePlease set up a donation page to help pay his fine. If all of your readers gave $50 or $100, we could pay his fine!
Thanks Gryph
I hope Tyroanee & Anon 9:03 are right.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is humans sometimes miss the cues of the natural world around us. I think some anamorphise animals a bit too much. I blame Disney. Also-some do not respect the fact that although a grumpy puppy might nip you on the hand--a grumpy bear might rip your hand off.
Sharing the world with wild animals does not mean sharing our kitchens and abodes. It just means not depleting the resources they count on and not interfering with their environment—basically
do no harm.
The damage done will follow these bears until they have to be killed - all because of what he did. At some point he will not be living there and the bears will become aggressive with the next person. In the end they will need to be shot and killed for attacking those who don't feed them. What he has done is a crime and the saddest part is he will continue to feed them. After all they will continue to come to him for food and you know damn well he will feed them. It isn't going to stop.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, he has done harm to the bears, when they has to be shot, on the other hand I understand him.
DeleteGrypen:
ReplyDeleteIn Northern Mn. we have a Bear sanctuary because of a man just like this man. It is called "The Vince Schutte Bear sanctuary" just out side of Orr MN. It has a very large platform built, above the Bear ground,where they roam all over. Climb trees, have their cubs hanging in the trees.Volunteers come from around the world, to study the Bears. visitors also. The last time I was there, I heard an acsent, stopped to talk and found she was from an area, where i had visited. Just a few miles from where I had been. The acsent gave her away.While there, I also heard from the volunteers acsents from Austraila. It is a fun place to see, and visit. The Bears are all around whil the volunteersw feed them, However, they walk very slowly and make no fast moves. It's open from menorial day till the Bears go into hybernation.
By the way, none of these Bears have to worry aboit being placed right beside the mashed potato's
ReplyDelete"At no time should anyone intentionally or unintentionally feed bears so they can associate food with people. Doing so may compromise the safety of both humans and bears."
ReplyDeleteI live by the Vince Shutte Bear Sanctuary. The above statement is from their own website. btw....unfortunately the bear hunting around the sanctuary is very high. A large number of bears lose their lives because of the sanctuary.
heidi MN/MT
Angela-
ReplyDeleteI do agree with everyone on this post except for the statement of them being aggressive to the next owner of property- I'm sure Charlie has though of that one to some extent.
Humans have missed the cue from nature so many times, many have become extinct in the process of over processing.
If we are to be one with ourselves- then we must try to hear what nature tells us through other species actions and reacts.
There isn't anyone around (that I know anyway) that doesn't enjoy a great documentary on beautiful or rare species- we must develop and learn to co-exist, or I'm afraid that the tables will be turned by nature.
PEACE (~:
btw....the Vince Schutte sanctuary is only open until Labor Day, which happens to be the beginning of bear season here every year. The sanctuary is a tourist attraction yes, but it is a threat to every bear in the area.
ReplyDeleteheidi
I don't believe he feeds the bears any more.
ReplyDeleteBut he also doesn't drive them away, either.
Does he need any help with the fine?
What Charlie was doing was pretty nutty, but until Fish & Game connived to get the law changed specifically to get Charlie, he wasn't doing anything that was illegal. Don't know if anyone remembers, but a few years ago a big money lobbying co. was hired by various hunting groups here to lobby to get people to approve of bear baiting. They claimed granny would be arrested for putting bird seed in her bird feeder. This practice should have never been allowed in the first place, but thats what the public voted in. Charlie was baiting bears legally at first to view them, but never shot one. This was a witch hunt on Charlie. What should have happened was that damned bear baiting law reprealed.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to take a side on this one. On the one hand, it would be terrific to be so trusted by wild animals that you could truly be their "friend."
ReplyDeleteHowever, I remember seeing signs posted in Banff and Jasper National Parks (Alberta, Canada) that said "A fed animal is a dead animal." Sadly, I have to weigh in on that side of the argument.
I highly recommend reading Tom Brown's book, "The Tracker."
ReplyDeleteIt enables one to get a really good sense of nature without traveling too far from home. Anyone else, here, read it. His later books became a little too transcendental for me.
Nature is out there id=f you take the time to witness it.
2London- I loved that book... thanks for making me think of it again!
ReplyDeleteOf course I don't believe in feeding bears, either. But the state is being hugely hypocritical in going after Mr. Vandergaw. For one thing, in Unit 16B, it is perfectly legal to shoot black bear sows and cubs, and as many black bears as you like. (Last year the Board of Game allowed "experimental" bear snaring that killed 81 black bears and 3 brown bears.)
ReplyDeleteAlmost all of this "hunting" is done over bait. in other areas bears often visit bait sites multiple times but aren't shot because they aren't trophies. Are the bears that aren't shot a danger to the public? Brown bears take advantage of these bait stations, too, although it is not legal (yet) to shoot them except near McGrath. Are they dangerous? Hunting organizations and the state doesn't seem to think so. Yet Mr. Vandergaw's bears are?
The municipality of Anchorage has a big problem with bears, usually black bears, raiding people's garbage cans. It is almost impossible to fine people who leave put their garbage out the night before pickup, or who insist on putting out bird seed. A few years ago, the area biologist, Rick Sinnott, succeeded in finding an ordinance that allowed him to ticket people who were careless with their garbage. The judge refused to fine them because nobody could prove the garbage strewn around the street was those homeowners' garbage, even though clearly it was.
So the lesson is: Feed a bear and then kill it, and that's fine. Let bears eat your garbage--no problem. Do what Charlie Vandergaw did, and pay $20,000.
I’m sorry, but some of the posts in this thread are fucking nuts. It IS NOT A GOOD IDEA to pretend that you are a bear’s best friend. This type of familiarity, though quite possibly well intentioned, is FATAL to the bears and can damn well be FATAL to people, too.
ReplyDeleteThis is how bears associate people as easy sources of food. The bears become desensitized to humans and expect all humans to react this way. If these bears end up in more populated areas, they WILL become problem bears which need to be relocated. Contrary to popular belief, relocated bears tend either to return to their former home ranges - and once again become problem bears - or they end up having a very hard time establishing a new home territory among their new local rivals. Relocated bears are frequently killed by the bears whose home ranges they have now invaded.
Here in NM we have a three strikes rule: after two unsuccessful relocations, the bears are killed. Dr. Doolittle is a work of fiction. What happens to humans who interact with these bears and the bears themselves is real.
Vandergaw might well be a very caring man who thinks he is living a bucolic existence with the bears, but his actions have endangered the lives of both the bears and humans. His actions were incredibly naive at best, and reckless and dangerous at worst. It is precisely BECAUSE of the actions of people like Vandergaw that we have as many problem bears as we do.
If you care about the wildlife, then let them be wild. Your being the bear’s buddy is more likely to end up being a death sentence for the animal. We are NOT wild, they ARE. These are NOT cuddly friends, they are 250-900 pound omnivores who are quite capable of disemboweling a human with but the slightest of swipes of their formidable claws.
I hope Vandergaw can stay out of trouble. If not, I hope they lock his ass up. As someone who lives in bear country, it pisses me off that people like Vandergaw think they have a right to endanger the bears and my life because they want to play Grizzly Adams. If he wants to play Russian roulette with his own life, that’s his business. However, when he feeds the bears he endangers everyone else’s life. He needs to be stopped, either voluntarily or involuntarily.
remote property with bears is my dream and don't dare any one tell me what I can or can't do there. That's why I'm buying it remote.
ReplyDeleteI am sadden that such a fine was given. How can people judge so harshly what is obviously a gift this man has? How can something that brings such heart felt joy and harmony be so wrong? We take risks everyday. Just because some live in fear doesn't mean that those who do not should be sanctioned. I think we have a lot to learn from Charlie. I am touched by his deep authentic commitment to what is obvious to me a connection to these animals that others lack. Unfortunately, because others lack this ability they tend to harshly judge. Even if Charlie was harmed by the bears is it not his choice to live his life to the fullest. How many of us would love the opportunity to live our Lives in such splendor! I would love to contribute to his fund to help with the fine. Here's to you Charlie and all of your awesome Bear Friends!
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that Charlie has a gift or karma plus a lot of food, if you met one of his bears, it would likely attack and hurt you. Because what he did, he is putting other people in danger and if he did't get fined, other people would try the same thing and it would end bad. As I said before, in a way I understand him.
Deletewhy is it busybodies like you just can leave Charlie alone?
ReplyDeleteare you a bear expert? do you really understand these animals? no you do not!
what Charlie does is nobodys business but his own,he is not "taming" these bears or removing their fear of humans - they come to him not the other way around,he quite happily lived with his bears for nearly 20 years with no-one the wiser & no one came to any harm,its ignorant people like you who do not understand wild animal behaviour that are the problem not people like Charlie,people like Charlie are teaching us that if only we TRULY understand an animals behaviour we can peacefully live side by side,you say Charlie needs to find something else to do I would say the same to you & stop sticking your nose into things that dont concern you & which you certainly dont understand
It all has to do with money, and the almighty rightous hunter who can do no wrong in the eyes of the law. The hunter who pays the state through hunting licences and commercial hunting guides to do as they please and however they please to kill animals for sport. It's the hunter that dangles the money in front of the governments face. It's a kind of coexistance "give me the money and I'll allow you to murder our animals". Charlie, didn't give the state of Alaska anything, it's obvious just being a land owner wasn't enough. Just being an animal lover doesn't give the state business, it doesn't profit.
ReplyDeleteI have no use for the state or the government or for that matter people...especially people who want to murder animals.
Why can't we reverse our thinking when it comes to animals. If we are looking to profit from wild creatures then why not profit on a no kill basis. Like the way Africa is trying to change. Tourism and hunting by way of camaras. They're trying to end poaching by substituting killing for guided trips for the tourists to take pictures. It's a win win situration. You see it isn't Charlie that's done wrong, it's the money hungry burocracy that's to blame. We need more Charlies in this world and I applaud him for changing his ways from being a hunter to an animal lover. He decided it wasn't right to kill and stepped off that murderous, blood thristy bandwagon called legalised hunting. Godspeed to you Charlie!!!!
Bless you Charlie, we need a lot more people like you on this planet.
ReplyDeleteThe system will always try to keep us disconnected from nature for obvious reason.
Precautions are good but the murdering other living beings either for fear or fun belongs to poor frustred individuals that do not have a thought in their head that comes from themselves.
Dear remote,
ReplyDeleteRemote does not mean unpopulated. I have property in the vicinity of Mr. Vandergaw as do many other people. There are many hundreds of people that live in this area of southcentral Alaska. And when you are dealing with bears, "in the vicinity of" can mean many, many miles away. Since ADF&G made him stop feeding these animals, they have already become a problem even as far down as the mouth of Alexander Creek.
Bears are a big part of everyday life here, and most people to live side-by-side with them. It's usually only the problem bears that people wind up having to shoot, and all of his bears are problem bears. They exhibit pack behavior which is uncommon in the wild. It drives me crazy when some of you commenting talk about the gift he had. The gift he had was dog food. Anybody can do what he did, which was very intrusive to the balance of the ecosystem. He changed these bears' behavior, conditioned them to expect food wherever they see people and as a result most of them will wind up being destroyed either by people or other bears.
Think about it, he raised generations of bears that now do not know how to provide for themselves. The adult bears that grew up with this don't even know how to teach their offspring how to forage for themselves.
This isn't Disneyland out here and you people sitting in your armchairs giving yahoos to these kind of irresponsible actions need to take a step back and find out what is really happening out here before you start congratulating him on something that you really don't understand.
blt
I have these programmes and studied this guy, whilst I don't think he has any bad intentions ,his actions are totally,unacceptable , he should leave these wild animals to their own devices, to do their thing...
ReplyDelete