Authorities allege a Duncannon-area woman illegally killed a black bear because it was eating bird seed at her feeders.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission filed charges against Betty A. Kleinfelter, 53, of Pee Wee Lane, Duncannon. She will appear before District Justice James Moyer and faces an $800 fine if convicted.
Kleinfelter's home was searched March 18, Wildlife Conservation Officer Steve Hower said.
"Mrs. Kleinfelter has been very cooperative and I don't believe she actually intended to kill this bear," he said. "This incident happened late at night while the bears were apparently working over her birdfeeders pretty well. She became frustrated and wanted to scare them away by shooting."
"We're glad to see there's an arrest made, but we don't have a conviction at this point," Duncannon Sportsmen's Association President Carl Fox said.
The association offered a $500 reward for information leading to a conviction in the killing.
An official at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had offered a $2,500 reward.
The 5-year-old black bear was found shot in the left side Feb. 22 near Duncannon. The wound was not immediately fatal and the bear died later from shock, Game Commission officials say. Two cubs were near her.
Fox said a Perry resident saw two cubs Sunday within a half mile of where the shooting took place.
A necropsy revealed the 125-pound bear's stomach was full of sunflower seeds when it died. During the necropsy, a bullet fragment was recovered and sent to the state police crime lab for analysis.
Don Garner, information and education supervisor for the Game Commission's south-central region, said informants helped crack the case.
"They suspected this person had shot the bear. Apparently this bear was known in the area and had been in the neighborhood several months," Garner said.
The bear's death could have been prevented, he said. A recent amendment to the wildlife code says that when a bear starts feeding at a bird feeder, the feeder's owner must stop putting out food.
Bird feeders in the area had been damaged and residents had seen the bear and four cubs in the area, Garner said.
"It's our premise that this could have been avoided. That food should not have been put out," he said. "A black bear can become habituated within two to three days to being fed and become a regular attendee at a feeder."
Bears are fed purposely many times, Garner said. "In too many cases, it's a death sentence for the bear," he said.
Although bear hunting is allowed in the area where the bear was found, the season lasts for just three days in November. References« Back to Search Results Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges. For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.
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