Raffle for Victor the Bear

We’re gonna do something a little different…

For those of you that follow my personal account, you may have seen me posting about Victor the Bear this week. Victor was a very beloved Mammoth Bear who lived in the Lakes Basin around Lake Mary. Last weekend a group campers left a messy campsite with a table covered in food and Victor came and, well, acted  like a bear and started snacking. Instead of giving him space, the campers taunted him, laughed at him, and filmed the encounter. Anyone with common sense knows that black bears are not aggressive and if you make noise and ask them to leave, they will generally slink back to the woods. One of the campers stayed close and stood on a stump, laughing, trying to get a better view and when Victor walked by, he gave her a swipe with his paw… if he wanted to kill her, he would have, but being used to people, he did not. He went on his way only to be met by the California State Department of Wildlife, who drove him 40 miles away to “euthanize” him by shooting him and then dumping his body in the dump. Obviously, so many people are outraged, heartbroken, and calling for action. Steve Searles (@thebearwhisperer) worked with The Paiute Tribe in Bishop to get Victor’s Body back from the landfill and gave him the burial and ceremony that he deserved, filled with blessings, music, love and respect. Whether you live here in the mountains or elsewhere, often times we forget that we’re the ones living on their land, not the other way around. And, even worse, we condemn animals for acting like animals when us humans are barely capable of acting like human beings. Let’s remember that when John Muir said “going to the mountains is going home…” he didn’t say “TO MY home.” Because it’s not. It’s “OUR” home. We share It with them. And we should treat them like we treat any of our neighbors. With compassion. (@richkeith wrote that part 🤍) Ok. So what’s the plan? I’m going to raffle off this mug of Victor’s mug. ALL money will be given to Steve Searles, who will donate it to the tribe who so graciously retrieved Victor’s body and laid him to rest. The link to enter the raffle is in my bio and in my stories. Each ticket will be $10 and a winner will be drawn on Sunday. If you are local to Mammoth Lakes, I will be at the Wellness Festival tomorrow at @outbound from 11-4 and you can enter the raffle in person!

Each ticket is $10. You may purchase as many as you like. I will message you with your raffle numbers and the winner will be announced Sunday on Instagram. You have 24 hours to claim or I will draw another winner!