This story emphasizes the human propensity to justify killing predators for the sake of ungulates.
Brainwashing, indoctrination, simple human differences of opinion, we are not sure what the basis is of the wide range of perspectives about predator hunting. It seems somewhat suspicious that even people who promote the pseudo-management reasons for killing wolves, cougars, and bears find it necessary to justify their decision by the almost altruistic claim that they are ‘protecting’ another species. This might be acceptable if it were not true that predators and prey have evolved together for much longer than man’s footprints have left devastation on the land. This story is a little different…it almost insinuates the machismo of hunting large carnivores by drawing attention to the paradox of the very pretty female teen being the killer in this case. “this is man’s work, but she was able to do it like a man” is an affirmation of some sort although, what exactly, eludes us.
A more honest assessment of the story would have left out the moose calves (a natural food source for the bear) as a reason to kill him. It would have been simply a grandchild providing meat for her grandmother in the most natural human predatory manner-for indeed we are omnivores-just like the bear. Any other justification sounds like an excuse or the need to positively reinforce a behavior you are not quite sure about.
