Black Bear Attacks
- JerryBear
- JerryBear
- SusanAK
- green_thumb
- JerryBear
- Tobias
- JerryBear
- SusanAK
- ConnieT
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» JerryBear - The Second Colorado Incident and Some Reflections
Hi all!I have finally obtained details concerning the more recent fatality in Colorado from a nice lady named Kim. The first one, mentioned in the article above, took place (I believe) in 1972 and involved an aging bear with bad teeth taking a sleeping camper in a clearly predatory attack. The second attack was not really a true predatory attack. It instead involved a man doing something stupid. He lived out in the woods in a trailer near Salida, Colo and the incident probably took place in August of 1973. This bear had been messing around in his trash and he had run it off several times. He finally decided he was tired of this, so he shot the bear and ducked back into his trailer. The wounded bear came for him right through the metal door of the trailer and killed him. The bear then dragged the body into the woods and partially devoured it; a rare example of a black bear "vindictively devouring" a hated enemy. This sort of practice is more common with grizzlies.
Black bears are often cruelly and unnecessarily injured by people casually shooting them like this, often for nothing worse than merely passing through. Not only is this reprehensible, but it can create a hazardous situation for others. In some areas, such shootings kill more bears than legal hunting. Although it is comparatively rare for a black bear to seek revenge like this (compared to grizzlies), it can certainly happen as this case shows. Wounded black bears have been sometimes known to "play dead", in order to throw their persecuters off guard until they come near. I know of a couple of cases of hunters who were horribly mutilated as a result of this simple trick. One of my colleagues admitted to me that a friend of his shot a black bear with a .22 at a campground because it was making noise getting into the garbage. The bear in this case ran off into the woods, but they were foolish enough to follow the blood trail until the lost it. A grizzly being trailed under such conditions would almost certainly find an ambush spot to lie in wait for any pursuers. A black bear is capable of doing the same thing, if more rarely. He said they "had" to shoot the bear because they couldn't get any sleep. I have difficulties when people say that the "only" solution to a problem is to shoot something. Too many people in love with their death toys seem to miss no opportunity to use them destructively. I truly respect responsible gun ownership and enjoy some occaisional target shooting myself, but I really dislike those who carry any trace of that teenage attitude which believes, "If it crawls, it falls; if it flies, it dies; if it stops, it drops." I doubt if there is any task that wildlife managers hate worse than having to track a wounded grizzly through an area full of people because some cruel and stupid idiot took a pot-shot at it with a .22. May the grizzer bears feast richly on the carcasses of such fools!
Garbage in bear country can be easily placed in bear-proof containers, in fact, they should be required. I have already suggested a number of ways to non-harmfully communicate to black bears that their presence is not desired on your premises, if necessary bear spray and a slingshot can be used to get the point across without driving the bear into a killing frenzy. As a last resort, wildlife managers are usually willing to trap and relocate a persistant pest. Sometimes it is necessary to shoot a black bear; usually if it acts overtly aggressive towards humans without provocation, habitually breaks into dwellings, or is preying on livestock. In such a case, a .30 06 or bigger rifle with magnum loads must be used. The actual shooting should be done by an experienced and competent hunter who can make a clean kill. If the animal is wounded, the prospective hunter must be willing and able to track the animal (potentially dangerous!) and finish the job. Wildlife agencies will usually have somebody on hand who can do the job. In general, peaceful coexistence with black bears is easily done if the humans would take some reasonable precautions. Although black bears possess the strength and physical weaponry to kill a lion, they are overwhelmingly easy-going, tolerant and gentle souls who are happy in just enjoying their comfortable lives and letting others do the same. But don't forget what happened to that guy in Colorado! Add that to your list of stupid things not to do. Black bears fully deserve our respest.
Thoughtfully Yours,
JerryBear
Gggrowwrrr!!!
-- posted by JerryBear
» SusanAK - I have heard the same elsewhere
Jerry, everything I have heard about bears certainly conforms to the advice you offer here.Among the most dangerous bears are those that have been wounded previously by careless people. People who attempt to kill bears absolutely should be competent to do so without allowing a wounded animal to escape. This is for the well-being of all; the bear to prevent needless suffering, and any future victims of such an animal. If it should survive, you can bet it will have a vicious attitude toward people and anything connected to them.
Alaska has, in the past, been rather tolerant of needless bear shootings. People are allowed to protect life and property, and in the past a bear wandering through without molesting anything was pretty much killed with impunity on the part of some residents.
However, lately that has changed. Not only have prevailing attitudes changed, but tourism is BIG bucks in Alaska. A brown bear is a tourist attraction valued at $5000. Unnecessary shootings of bears are now resulting in very real penalties. There are the usual criminal fines, prosecutions, and potential imprisonment, as well as reimbursement to the state for the value of the animal - $5000.
The cost can get pretty steep these days to kill a bear without good cause.
-- posted by SusanAK
» green_thumb - Stupid Things to do Around a Bear
Do any of you folks get the Reader's Digest magazine? In the Canadian edition of the April issue is a story of a male black bear attaking people in Laird River Hot Springs Provincial Park in BC. It's a litany of stupid things to do around a bear. From what you said, Jerry, the initial attack might have taken place because the woman likely stared straight at the bear, and he took this as a sign of aggression. Everything escalated from there, and two people (and the bear) lost their lives. Or perhaps he was one of those that had previously had a bad encounter with humans, and nothing the woman did would have saved her from attack.Bernice
-- posted by green_thumb
» JerryBear - The Liard Situation was different...
Hi! Thanks, I'll see if I can find a copy of that edition.In this case, nobody did anything wrong. The Liard black bear was inherently vicious, and would have attacked no matter what anybody did. Nobody was at fault. The woman and her son were walking on the boardwalk when they came upon the bear about 20 feet away eating grass. It woofed at them, and the woman tried to quietly walk around it. If it had been an ordinary black bear, there would not have been the slightest problem. Instead, it was a fully predacious black bear and regarded all humans as prey. It would have kept killing and eating humans until it was itself killed. The ferociousness of such animals is beyond belief. Their natural inclination is to kill every human in sight and make a cache of the bodies. Such bears almost never occur in the U.S. , but they are not all that rare in northernern B.C. An autopsy showed that the bear was not of the local Liard population, since these are all marked in one way or another. The general opinion is that predacious black bears are deep wilderness animals with little or no experience with humans. Black bears that have been mistreated by humans become afraid of humans. They really don't become vicious towards humans,; they are more forgiving than grizzlies. The predacious black bear is that way naturally. It has nothing to do with their treatment by humans. Indeed, they usually have no prior contact with humans. Their attacks are unprovoked and carried out with a cold, determined ferocity. Those who have looked into the eyes of such an animal have found it a terrible, soul-freezing experience. One man who did said the bear let him know exactly what it planned to do to him. Their gaze is nothing like the warm, shy, gentle gaze of the typical black bear. You can no more anticipate such an attack than a shark attack at a popular bathing beach. The thing to do if you are in an area where such bears occur is to carry some defense. If I ever visit Liard, I am at least going to carry a can of bear spray. There is a crying need for more research into this phenomenon before it damages the reputation of all black bears. Please read through my article for more information and details, including the incident at Liard.
Yours Thoughtfully,
JerryBear
-- posted by JerryBear
» Tobias - Bear Attacks
It's a mistake to say that all bear attacks are the fault of humans. Some people seem to feel better when they can lay the blame on humans rather than just admit that some wildlife can be inherently dangerous. I have yet to see someone make that kind of statement about great white sharks, but I know it's only a matter of time. :-)-- posted by Tobias
» JerryBear - Agreed
Hi Tobias,I, too, have noticed a kind of "political correctness" at work in which all attacks are automatically blamed on the victim, as if an animal were not capable of attacking on its own initiative. However, keep in mind that an awful lot of bear attacks, especially with grizzlies, take place because somebody did something stupid. This is particularly the case when an attack involves photographers or hunters. In the case of hikers, the attack is often unprovoked and the human is innocent of wrong-doing. Many attacks on campers involve carelessness with food, but not always. Any big, powerful creature is inherently dangerous. The risk you take of encountering them is simply part of the overall risks you take when you go into wild country. Intelligent precautions can greatly reduce the risks, but it is silly to expect them to be zero. The risk of serious injury from bear attack out in the woods is normally well below the risks related to falls, drowning and hypothermia. You take a lot bigger risk any time you go into a typical inner-city area. Man is still the most dangerous animal.
In my view, a "risk-free, idiot-proof" wilderness is not a wilderness but a Disneyland-esque theme park. As with rock-climbing or motorcycle racing, the risks part of the appeal.
Yours at Length,
JerryBear
Gggrrrowwrrr!
P.S. I am "inherently dangerous" too! I ought to put up one of those signs that says, "Forget the Dog, Beware of Owner!".
-- posted by JerryBear
» SusanAK - Like it wild, and yes, it's a little scary
Absolutely there are big risks in the wilderness, and that is indeed part of the attraction.Last year when we did the canoe trip on the Yukon was the most remote I have ever been. It is both intimidating and exciting. The good part is that for the most part, not much goes wrong. The bad part is that when it does, man-oh-man, but you are in deep dooh dooh immediately. It's that fast - from fine to trauma in about one second. And after that, there is zero margin for error. Fortunately, so far in our many excursions, all has gone well. We do try to prepare well, also. Medical supplies, correct clothes and equipment for whatever we are doing, adhering to all safety practices we have been taught.
All in all, I have to say that treks to the wilderness have a way of putting things in perspective. And I very much agree, wild animals are potentially dangerous. Even tiny voles have been known to bite campers. And it's good to be aware of normal and abnormal behavior with them, and to allow them their space at all times.
-- posted by SusanAK
» ConnieT - Bear attacks
Hello everyone,All wildlife can be dangerous. And I don't believe it's always the fault of the "human". But for those who do try to get too close to a bear or say a bison, as so many do in Yellowstone Park, this is when trouble starts. Not sure what people are thinking when they want to stand next to a buffalo for a photo?!
Anyway, hikers can come upon a bear even making noise. Some bears have no fear of humans while others will move on if they hear or smell you. Always hike with someone and make plenty of noise. Bear bells are great to wear on shoes. Sometimes this doesn't work and if this animal decides you're an invasion within their territory he will get aggressive.
Jerry, you said it well about campers who leave their food out. This is an invitation for a visit. I had a friend who left dog food out one night and was surprised to see the food gone the next morning. Her answer...chipmunks. I had to laugh at this due to the fact we had a bear who would lounge within the campground. This type of situation is the fault of a human. The bad side to all of this is when the bear becomes dependent on this type of food, it's only a matter of time before they are destroyed.
I get frustrated with campers and have told them to put their food up. I also think the forest service should provide bear compartments in all campgrounds. After all, it's all bear country. Now up by Yellowstone Park, outside of Cody,Wy, they do not stand for campers leaving anything out. If you leave your campsite and they come by...they will either take your food or put it in the bear compartments and leave you a nice note.
-- posted by ConnieT
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