Comments on: Overkill? Or Really Orang?

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 02:47:36 +0000

Kittenz- I don’t think bears are dumb or clumsy. I was merely agreeing with Mr.Inspector that what is required to hold a bear in terms of trap design versus what would be needed to hold an orangutan is perhaps different.

By: squatch-toba

squatch-toba — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 02:03:02 +0000

Hi LOren & Kittenz…. I made that comment remembering what bear traps were like the last time I’d seen one set. I’ve never been to Florida, and I’ve never had the chance to meet one of the fine folks from there to know what a “gator trap” would look like! No offence to anyone, like I said, just putting it out there!! Hope you all have a safe, fun holiday week-end!!! The Thanksgiving in Canada is in October!!! Hey,… All the best to all the fans of CRYPTOMUNDO…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 01:45:20 +0000

Yes, it is a bear-trap, and is identified as such in this blog.

By: kittenz

kittenz — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 01:43:08 +0000

I believe that it IS a bear trap. The game warden here uses a trap very similar to this one for capturing “problem” black bears. The traps look like big, heavy-duty metal oil drums with holes for ventilation and a trap door at each end. He brings the bears by to let us have a look at them after capture. Most of the bears are youngish animals which are dispersing, and they have gotten into trouble raiding people’s garbage. Those are trapped, weighed & measured, & tissue samples taken, after which they are tagged and released in very remote wilderness areas with good bear habitat. The ones who have been captured and tagged three or more times may not be so lucky; depending on their circumstances and level of aggression, they may be relocated again or they may be humanely destroyed.

A surprisingly large bear can fit into a surprisingly small drum trap. The traps are intended to be of a size that will hold the bear safely, while somewhat limiting its movement, to make the bear easier to anesthetize and prevent it being able to thrash around in the trap and injure itself.

And hey, don’t underestimate the intelligence of bears! Those critters are SMART! They may look clumsy but they aren’t, and their paws are very dextrous.

By: squatch-toba

squatch-toba — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:40:41 +0000

The more I look at the trap, I can’t help but wonder if it might be a live trap for gators. It looks kind of long and narrow for a bear trap the more I look at it,…just throwing it out there!!!

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:12:09 +0000

It would be especially escapable if the orang happened to have one of those paper clips handy.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:10:43 +0000

MrInspector- You are absolutely right, and I am well aware of what orangutans can do as well as how smart they are. The intelligence and thumbs would be a potent tool for getting out of this thing and it was something I wasn’t really considering with this trap as I suspected that it locked tight, which doesn’t seem to be the case. In any case, you are right that something simple enough to hold a bear may be able to be figured out by an orang. I wasn’t sure how this rig worked at first, but it seems that the door can be simply lifted.

By: MrInspector

MrInspector — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:41:43 +0000

Dear mystery_man, Just because a trap would hold a bear doesn’t even come close to making it orang proof. It’s not about strength, it’s about brains/thumbs. Orangs are known by primate keepers as the “escape artists” of the zoo. They can operate levers, latches, locks, etc. They don’t just fool with them until they get them open, they study them and figure out how they work and remember it. Some have been known to hide paper clips in order to pick cage locks, steal keys, re-lock the cages, and return the keys when they are done to cover their tracks. They’re incredibly smart animals and not a pet for the layman.

This makes me wonder if maybe there isn’t an orangutan running around Florida. If someone tried to keep one as a pet and didn’t know enough about orangs, it’s possible it escaped and this person doesn’t want to tell anyone. I’m pretty sure Florida has laws concerning the ownership of great apes.

Anyway, I’m still not so sure this is a bear trap, it looks more like a dog catcher’s over night rig. This thing looks awful small to go catching bears with.

By: bucko

bucko — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 03:53:30 +0000

I hear ya, Saint Vitus.

By: Saint Vitus

Saint Vitus — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 00:42:54 +0000

That would be pretty funny if they set that huge trap and all they caught was a squirrel!