The news of human vs. wildlife conflicts over the past week or so has proved a rather depressing scenario: When human activity comes into contact with wildlife, it usually is lethal for the wildlife.

Last week, landowners in the Lebanon area contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s trapper, who is paid by counties to trap and kill coyotes, bears and other nuisance wildlife. He trapped and killed three nursing female foxes and a male.

Let’s be clear: Sheep and cattle ranchers are among those who need the trapper, who prevents losses to coyotes, and we aren’t suggesting doing away with his job. What we advocate, however, is other wildlife management tools that now are unavailable.

“Nuisance” wildlife is defined as wildlife that shows aggression and no fear of humans. These fox vixens, with young to nurse, were hungrier than usual, and they were hunting chickens.

The son of the landowners, when he heard the cries of the orphaned young in the dens, called Jeff Picton, the director of the Chintimini Wildlife Refuge north of Corvallis. Picton said he had to do some negotiating to be allowed to capture the starving fox kits. Under Oregon law, Picton did not have the option of also trapping their mothers, even if he could have done so in time.

In an area where we have the services of an expert wildlife rehab facility, we should rethink whether the only alternative for encroaching wildlife is death. Picton said other, more sympathetic landowners, would have welcomed the entire fox family as new furry resident on their land.

We realize that relocating wildlife such as urban raccoons into wild land often is not an option. Urban raccoons are accustomed to raiding human trash for their food. Moving them into the wild is often a slow and painful death sentence.

We have heard from the county’s animal control officer that the usual end to nuisance urban raccoons is a well-aimed shot.

It also is true that humans — through ignorant good intentions — sometimes doom wild animals by feeding them. That is what happened in the case of a 200-pound black bear that residents have been feeding in the Kings Valley area.

As of Wednesday, the USDA trapper was going to trap and shoot that bear.

We can see why it’s hard to find a home for a wild bear that was fed throughout the winter, and did not hibernate. He instead learned bad habits, including breaking into structures and leaning on windows. He’s lost his fear of humans, yet he’s not suited to be a pet. It’s sad.

Wildlife officials try each spring to educate hunters and hikers who “save” fawns found hiding in the woods by bringing them to wildlife officials. The fawns aren’t abandoned; they’re waiting for their moms, who usually are nearby.

The same thing happens to cute seal pups left on the beach who are — every year — removed by people who think they’ve been orphaned and thus end up orphaning the pups themselves.

We aren’t calling anyone a bad guy here, but we are calling for a review of the available options, and for considering more nonlethal options.

We humans are smart enough to find ways to relocate wildlife where they can, indeed, live on our abundant wild lands.