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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 27, 2005 Pet black bear taken from logger By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune State authorities Monday seized a 150-pound black bear from a Coos County residence where police believe the bear was being raised as a pet by a logger who found it on the job. Armed with a search warrant, a team of Oregon State Police troopers and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists tranquilized and removed the male bear from the Perkett family property in rural Allegany, along the Millicoma River east of Coos Bay. In a search warrant affidavit, OSP troopers say they were tipped to the Perkett’s residence by neighbors who reportedly saw the bear numerous times and feared it posed a safety hazard. The search warrant also identifies Jonathan "Long John" Perkett, 28, as the logger who handled the bear. The animal appeared to run at large on the property and sleep in a dog run, says Stuart Love, an ODFW biologist who helped tranquilize the bear. Advertisement "At times, the thing had been fed cookies and Dr. Pepper," Love says. "We saw the pile of Dr. Pepper bottles." No citations were issued and the case will be forwarded to the Coos County District Attorney’s Office when the investigation is done, ODFW Wildlife Administrator Ron Anglin says. It is illegal to hold deer, bears and other wildlife without a permit from the ODFW, which rarely issues permits because "wildlife belong in the wild," Anglin says. The ODFW has found no evidence that a permit was ever issued to Perkett for the bear, Anglin says. Holding a wild animal without a permit is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,350 fine. Perkett, who has no listed telephone number, could not be located for comment. According to the police affidavit, Perkett allegedly found the cub about 18 months ago while logging and nursed it until it was weaned. Neighbors reported seeing the bear several times, including at least once tethered to a dog leash, the affidavit states. "It was very docile at the time we handled it," Love said. "But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be dangerous." Anglin says the bear was placed in a trap made from a culvert pipe welded to a trailer. It was taken to the ODFW’s Roseburg office while agency biologists find a zoo or holding facility that is approved by the American Zoological Association and willing to take in the bear, Anglin says. Anglin says the bear most likely will end up in an out-of-state facility that will provide a "safe place with appropriate care." As with many wild animals treated as pets, the bear appears unafraid of humans and likely retains enough skills to survive alone in the wild without seeking out humans, Anglin says. However, "It would not be appropriate to release it back into the wild," Anglin says. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail Pet black bear taken from logger ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Cheap Website Hosting Discount Hotel Reservations Online Pharmacy Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans High End Computers Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Fundraisers Advertisement s