It is possible to pet black bears if they are full, happy and completely unafraid of humans. The same bear could injure someone a couple days later when it is frustrated, hungry, or maybe has something like a sore tooth.
Story from Colorado. Wildlife Officials Kill Bear In Contact With Human. Colorado DOW Wanted To Prevent Deadly Attack. cbs4denver.com
June 24. Bear feeding charges unlikely. Aspen Times. The couple who probably fed the bear are thought to be too poor to pay the fine.
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Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He has been a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and also its President. For many years he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
The bear was killed as a preventive measure–the ignorant people who “corrupted” him walked away with no penalty whatsoever. This is truly sad and sickening.
According to an official from CO DOW, “We don’t like to shoot bears but there isn’t anything that we can do to the people,” Hampton said.
Link to article: http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070623/NEWS/70623001