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Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park



 
 
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  #11  
Old September 4th 07, 11:37 PM posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
y_p_w
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 102
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

On Sep 4, 3:18 pm, Bruce Jensen wrote:
On Sep 4, 2:46 pm, y_p_w wrote:

I saw a black bear sow with cubs. It sent one cub up a tree next to
the trail, at which point I backed off on the off-chance that it
aggressively defended its young. I was certainly cautious, with a
good deal of respect that it could cause serious injury if so
inclined. It was after I reported my sighting that I heard from
rangers/naturalists/etc that black bear sows typically retreat from
their cubs when scared off. I've also heard of first-hand reports of
someone chasing off a black bear sow with young.


My bro-in-law and I have seen numerous sows with cubs on trails, and
in the backcountry at least, typically the sow will become alert, and
then take her children away from us as fast as she can go. I agree,
the chance of a mom bear with cubs attacking is unlikely, as long as a
reasonable buffer or escape route is present.


I'm sure it noticed me. Once I backed off and one cub was able to
climb down, it didn't really seem all that interested in me. I got
that first photo before I realized there was another cub up a tree.
After I ascertained that it wasn't worried about my presence, I took
several photos over about three minutes. I could have sworn it
intentionally posed for this one ("Here - get my good side!").

http://img75.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rcbears1tr1.jpg

In the front country, this behavior seems to depend alot more on how
accustomed to humans the bears are - haivng said that, I have never
personally seen aggression - more likely, tolerance or insouciance. I
have not seen a mother bear in a tight spot ever, so I can't directly
comment on that situation - but that could be what happened,
especially if she was surprised.


I realize the important thing is to never corner a bear into a place
where it can only get out by me. I was in the woods where there were
plenty of escape routes.

Ads
  #12  
Old September 5th 07, 04:43 AM posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
Ist-e Mundus, Furia bundus
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Posts: 42
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park


"Mike Vandeman" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 12:00:50 -0600, "Ist-e Mundus, Furia bundus"
wrote:


"Mike Vandeman" wrote in message
. ..
What crime did the bear commit, that it deserves to die?! She was only
defending her cubs!

Mike


http://www.komotv.com/news/9538012.html:





Black bear attacks bicyclist in park

Story Published: Sep 2, 2007 at 4:14 PM PDT

Story Updated: Sep 3, 2007 at 7:33 AM PDT





By KOMO Staff

Watch the story
NEAR OLLALA, Wash. -- A man was attacked by a bear while mountain
biking in the Banner Forest Heritage Park just before noon on Sunday,
according to South Kitsap Fire and Rescue officials.

Spokesman Ron Powers said a 51-year-old Port Orchard man was biking
with his two dogs alongside him when the dogs ran ahead and around the
bend, then started barking fiercely. The man turned the bend and saw
the dogs were barking at a bear.

Powers said the bear immediately charged at the man, who tried to use
his bike to shield himself from the animal. But the bear managed to
injure the man's arm, back, neck and ear before he was able to get
back on his bike and ride away.

Down the path, the injured man ran into other mountain bikers, who
called 911.

The man was conscious and alert when he was taken to St. Joseph
Medical Center in Tacoma. The unidentified man is in serious
condition, but is expected to recover.

One of the man's dogs is still missing. It is not known whether the
dog suffered injuries during the attack. The second dog is said to be
OK.

Officials evacuated the park and shut it down in order to search for
the bear. Powers said if the bear is found, officials plan to kill it.
Officials said crews will search through the night until the bear is
found.

Another bicyclist who was at the park on Sunday told authorities he
saw mother bear and two cubs while riding on the trail.

Powers said Sunday's attack is a freak accident, stating black bears
rarely attack humans and, unless provoked or threatened, will run
away. The man or the dogs may have appeared as a threat to the bear,
who may have been protecting her cubs, Powers said.

Area resident Teri Nelson agrees, while bears are not uncommon at the
park, she didn't expect them to be aggressive.

"Attacking somebody would make me have second thoughts about walking
through this forest by myself," she said. "It's pretty scary."
--
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are
fond of!


How do you know it was defending cubs? The article only says "may have
been", and that there was a report of a bear with two cubs. No guarantee
it
was the same bear as "bears are not uncommon at the park". There you go
leaping to conclusions again, reaffirming your status as the primo number
one twit-extraordinaire on usenet.


It's a well-known fact that black bears don't attack humans, except to
defend their cubs. Do you think it was offended by the color of his
outfit?!
--

You're joking, right? Well known fact? I've rarely heard such a sweeping
and baseless statement, but I should expect it from you. Black bears are
more unpredictable than grizzlies, and more likely to attack without
provocation. That is not to say there was no provocation in this incident,
intentional or otherwise. To say "It's a well-known fact that black bears
don't attack humans, except to
defend their cubs." is absolute stupidity and is a classic display of
your near complete ignorance.



  #13  
Old September 5th 07, 05:08 AM posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
Mike Vandeman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,798
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:46:59 -0700, y_p_w wrote:

On Sep 3, 11:00 pm, Mike Vandeman wrote:
On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 12:00:50 -0600, "Ist-e Mundus, Furia bundus"



wrote:

"Mike Vandeman" wrote in message
.. .
What crime did the bear commit, that it deserves to die?! She was only
defending her cubs!


Mike


http://www.komotv.com/news/9538012.html:


Black bear attacks bicyclist in park


Story Published: Sep 2, 2007 at 4:14 PM PDT


Story Updated: Sep 3, 2007 at 7:33 AM PDT


By KOMO Staff


Watch the story
NEAR OLLALA, Wash. -- A man was attacked by a bear while mountain
biking in the Banner Forest Heritage Park just before noon on Sunday,
according to South Kitsap Fire and Rescue officials.


Spokesman Ron Powers said a 51-year-old Port Orchard man was biking
with his two dogs alongside him when the dogs ran ahead and around the
bend, then started barking fiercely. The man turned the bend and saw
the dogs were barking at a bear.


Powers said the bear immediately charged at the man, who tried to use
his bike to shield himself from the animal. But the bear managed to
injure the man's arm, back, neck and ear before he was able to get
back on his bike and ride away.


Down the path, the injured man ran into other mountain bikers, who
called 911.


The man was conscious and alert when he was taken to St. Joseph
Medical Center in Tacoma. The unidentified man is in serious
condition, but is expected to recover.


One of the man's dogs is still missing. It is not known whether the
dog suffered injuries during the attack. The second dog is said to be
OK.


Officials evacuated the park and shut it down in order to search for
the bear. Powers said if the bear is found, officials plan to kill it.
Officials said crews will search through the night until the bear is
found.


Another bicyclist who was at the park on Sunday told authorities he
saw mother bear and two cubs while riding on the trail.


Powers said Sunday's attack is a freak accident, stating black bears
rarely attack humans and, unless provoked or threatened, will run
away. The man or the dogs may have appeared as a threat to the bear,
who may have been protecting her cubs, Powers said.


Area resident Teri Nelson agrees, while bears are not uncommon at the
park, she didn't expect them to be aggressive.


"Attacking somebody would make me have second thoughts about walking
through this forest by myself," she said. "It's pretty scary."
--
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)


Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are
fond of!


How do you know it was defending cubs? The article only says "may have
been", and that there was a report of a bear with two cubs. No guarantee it
was the same bear as "bears are not uncommon at the park". There you go
leaping to conclusions again, reaffirming your status as the primo number
one twit-extraordinaire on usenet.


It's a well-known fact that black bears don't attack humans, except to
defend their cubs. Do you think it was offended by the color of his
outfit?!


WTF?

Tell that to the family in Utah whose 11 year old was dragged out of
their tent and killed in June by a male black bear.


He was probably eating in bed..

Male black bears
aren't known for being protective of their cubs. Some are known to
attack cubs, which could include their own young.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n2947472.shtml

Here's a California DFG listing of black bear attacks in California.
Fortunately there's never been a reported human fatality from a black
bear attack in California or Nevada.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/be...incidents.html

Black bear attacks on humans are extremely rare. However - when
attacks do happen, it's for far more reasons than simply defending
cubs. NPS rangers have told me that more often than not, a black bear
sow will run away when scared off by humans. In that case, they'll
typically come back for their cubs later. That doesn't mean caution
isn't warranted around a black bear sow with cubs, because they have
been known to attack.

I'd be far more concerned about a grizzly bear sow defending its cubs.

http://www.bear.org/Black/Articles/W..._Wildlife.html

"Unlike grizzly bear mothers, black bear mothers seldom attack people
in defense of cubs. Black bear mothers typically bluff or retreat.
Researchers who routinely capture cubs by chasing them up trees have
not been attacked even when they have held the screaming cubs. The
ferocity of mother black bears is one of the biggest misconceptions
about this species."

--
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande
  #14  
Old September 5th 07, 05:14 AM posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
Mike Vandeman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,798
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 21:43:11 -0600, "Ist-e Mundus, Furia bundus"
wrote:


"Mike Vandeman" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 12:00:50 -0600, "Ist-e Mundus, Furia bundus"
wrote:


"Mike Vandeman" wrote in message
...
What crime did the bear commit, that it deserves to die?! She was only
defending her cubs!

Mike


http://www.komotv.com/news/9538012.html:





Black bear attacks bicyclist in park

Story Published: Sep 2, 2007 at 4:14 PM PDT

Story Updated: Sep 3, 2007 at 7:33 AM PDT





By KOMO Staff

Watch the story
NEAR OLLALA, Wash. -- A man was attacked by a bear while mountain
biking in the Banner Forest Heritage Park just before noon on Sunday,
according to South Kitsap Fire and Rescue officials.

Spokesman Ron Powers said a 51-year-old Port Orchard man was biking
with his two dogs alongside him when the dogs ran ahead and around the
bend, then started barking fiercely. The man turned the bend and saw
the dogs were barking at a bear.

Powers said the bear immediately charged at the man, who tried to use
his bike to shield himself from the animal. But the bear managed to
injure the man's arm, back, neck and ear before he was able to get
back on his bike and ride away.

Down the path, the injured man ran into other mountain bikers, who
called 911.

The man was conscious and alert when he was taken to St. Joseph
Medical Center in Tacoma. The unidentified man is in serious
condition, but is expected to recover.

One of the man's dogs is still missing. It is not known whether the
dog suffered injuries during the attack. The second dog is said to be
OK.

Officials evacuated the park and shut it down in order to search for
the bear. Powers said if the bear is found, officials plan to kill it.
Officials said crews will search through the night until the bear is
found.

Another bicyclist who was at the park on Sunday told authorities he
saw mother bear and two cubs while riding on the trail.

Powers said Sunday's attack is a freak accident, stating black bears
rarely attack humans and, unless provoked or threatened, will run
away. The man or the dogs may have appeared as a threat to the bear,
who may have been protecting her cubs, Powers said.

Area resident Teri Nelson agrees, while bears are not uncommon at the
park, she didn't expect them to be aggressive.

"Attacking somebody would make me have second thoughts about walking
through this forest by myself," she said. "It's pretty scary."
--
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are
fond of!


How do you know it was defending cubs? The article only says "may have
been", and that there was a report of a bear with two cubs. No guarantee
it
was the same bear as "bears are not uncommon at the park". There you go
leaping to conclusions again, reaffirming your status as the primo number
one twit-extraordinaire on usenet.


It's a well-known fact that black bears don't attack humans, except to
defend their cubs. Do you think it was offended by the color of his
outfit?!
--

You're joking, right? Well known fact? I've rarely heard such a sweeping
and baseless statement, but I should expect it from you. Black bears are
more unpredictable than grizzlies, and more likely to attack without
provocation. That is not to say there was no provocation in this incident,
intentional or otherwise. To say "It's a well-known fact that black bears
don't attack humans, except to
defend their cubs." is absolute stupidity and is a classic display of
your near complete ignorance.


I notice that you can't given even ONE other reason.
--
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande
  #15  
Old September 5th 07, 05:19 AM posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
Mike Vandeman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,798
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:46:48 -0700, y_p_w wrote:

On Sep 4, 2:29 pm, Bruce Jensen wrote:
On Sep 4, 1:46 pm, y_p_w wrote:

WTF?


Tell that to the family in Utah whose 11 year old was dragged out of
their tent and killed in June by a male black bear. Male black bears
aren't known for being protective of their cubs. Some are known to
attack cubs, which could include their own young.


Yeah, but we are not at this point talking specfiically about a male
or female bear. There is a reasonable chance that the bear in
question was a female with cubs, based on other testimony. At the
very least, it was surprised.

The Utah incident above also involved some questionable human-food
handling, IIRC.


Sure. However - the attack was for a different reason than a black
bear sow defending its cubs.


I don't know that that was an "attack". It was probably simply
following the smell of food.

I notice that you haven't offered any other reason for a black bear to
attack a human, even though you say there are such reasons.

Sometimes it's keeping an unclean camp
or other attractant. I just disagree with Vandeman's ill-informed
blanket statement that there's only one reason why a black bear would
attack a human.

This is not a challenge, but simply an effort to learn - If you have a
reference for a male bear attacking its own offspring, I would like to
see it. My reading has suggested that males will attempt to kill
other children, but not his own.


Most of the references I've read are that a black bear male mates
within a few days, then goes off solo without ever being able to
identify its own cubs.

Black bear attacks on humans are extremely rare. However - when
attacks do happen, it's for far more reasons than simply defending
cubs. NPS rangers have told me that more often than not, a black bear
sow will run away when scared off by humans. In that case, they'll
typically come back for their cubs later. That doesn't mean caution
isn't warranted around a black bear sow with cubs, because they have
been known to attack.


To reiterate, this bear suddenly found itself confronted with two
screaming dogs and a rapidly moving cyclist. That is not what a
typical hiker would present to a bear, with or without cubs.


That could freak out a bear. I have heard of freak defensive attacks
when a bear was surprised. However - it could be a male, female, or
juvenile. Again - black bear attacks happen for more reasons than
just a sow defending cubs.

I'd be far more concerned about a grizzly bear sow defending its cubs.


No doubt, this is cause for great caution. An attack by a mother bear
is still no excuse for killing the bear. In fact, this very year, an
attack on Jim Cole up at Yellowstone by a mom bear protecting her
baby(s) in an area where people generally if not specifically move
about was treated by simply leaving the bears alone. Cole, OTOH, had
a history of pestering bears to the point of provoking violent
reactions.

NPS will typically only remove bears if they (1) have found humans to
be a reliable source of food and act on that finding, or (2) they have
killed a human and have thus probably found that people taste good.
It is likely that neither one of these things occured here.

http://www.bear.org/Black/Articles/W..._Wildlife.html


"Unlike grizzly bear mothers, black bear mothers seldom attack people
in defense of cubs. Black bear mothers typically bluff or retreat.
Researchers who routinely capture cubs by chasing them up trees have
not been attacked even when they have held the screaming cubs. The
ferocity of mother black bears is one of the biggest misconceptions
about this species."- Hide quoted text -


Maybe true, but I'd hate to test this nugget. Nevertheless, a
surprised bear is a dangerous bear. And, the bear is typically only
dangerous until after the surprise has passed.


I saw a black bear sow with cubs. It sent one cub up a tree next to
the trail, at which point I backed off on the off-chance that it
aggressively defended its young. I was certainly cautious, with a
good deal of respect that it could cause serious injury if so
inclined. It was after I reported my sighting that I heard from
rangers/naturalists/etc that black bear sows typically retreat from
their cubs when scared off. I've also heard of first-hand reports of
someone chasing off a black bear sow with young.

http://img247.imageshack.us/my.php?i...cbears0jo9.jpg

--
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande
  #16  
Old September 5th 07, 05:41 AM posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
Jeff Strickland
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 613
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

Would you have posted this if the story was about a hiker and his two dogs
walking along the trail. The dogs ran ahead and started barking, the hiker
then came around the turn ...

You are scum of the lowest form -- actually, you give real scum a bad name.
You sit at home and giggle like a little girl when your search engine finds
this ****.




  #17  
Old September 5th 07, 06:05 AM posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
y_p_w
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 102
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

On Sep 4, 9:19 pm, Mike Vandeman wrote:
On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:46:48 wrote:
On Sep 4, 2:29 pm, Bruce Jensen wrote:
On Sep 4, 1:46 wrote:


WTF?


Tell that to the family in Utah whose 11 year old was dragged out of
their tent and killed in June by a male black bear. Male black bears
aren't known for being protective of their cubs. Some are known to
attack cubs, which could include their own young.


Yeah, but we are not at this point talking specfiically about a male
or female bear. There is a reasonable chance that the bear in
question was a female with cubs, based on other testimony. At the
very least, it was surprised.


The Utah incident above also involved some questionable human-food
handling, IIRC.


Sure. However - the attack was for a different reason than a black
bear sow defending its cubs.


I don't know that that was an "attack". It was probably simply
following the smell of food.


Dragging an 11 year old 400 yards from a tent was an attack. Possibly
one that could have been avoided, but still an attack. Bears have
been known to claw/bite people if they think they can get food.

I notice that you haven't offered any other reason for a black bear to
attack a human, even though you say there are such reasons.


Are you freaking kidding me? They'll attack when startled. I've read
of numerous incidents where someone was clawed or bitten when a bear
was surprised by a person while it was going through garbage/food. My
favorite stories are about idiots feeding bears that just turned on
them. Some attacks have been seemly random, like the Cherokee
National Forest mauling in 2006. That was just a family on the trail,
attacked by a male bear. It was also exceedingly rare.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_87516.asp

I posted this earlier, but I guess it's not valid if it doesn't
validate your ill-advised statements:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/be...incidents.html

"Los Angeles County, July 2003 - A male hiker was knocked down by a
bear at a remote campsite along the Pacific Crest Trail in the Angeles
National Forest. The hiker had just reached the camp, which was empty,
dropped his pack on a picnic table, and was looking for a place to
hang his food. As he walked back toward the pack, he heard a noise
behind him. As he turned he was knocked to the ground by a bear. After
standing over him for a few seconds, the bear grabbed the backpack and
began dragging it off. The man shouted at the bear and threw rocks
until the bear finally retreated without the backpack. The hiker
received only minor bruises and was not seriously hurt.

Los Angeles County, July 2001 - A woman was bitten on the arm by a
bear at a county-run tree farm near La Verne. The bear, which was
earlier spotted climbing on a nearby trash can, reportedly walked up
to the woman while she was seated at a picnic table and bit her on the
arm. The woman was treated at a hospital for puncture wounds. The bear
was later shot and killed by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies.
The bear weighed approximately 85 pounds and was estimated at one to
two years of age.

Trinity County, May 1986 - A 35-year old man was attacked at around 3
a.m. while camping in a tent in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. The
victim felt that he was caught in the middle of a fight between two
boars when one bear attacked him in his tent. The bear left when the
victim hit the bear with a tentpole. Two bears then returned and acted
aggressively toward each another before they finally left. The victim
sustained several puncture wounds to his shoulder and lacerations to
the back of his head.

Siskiyou County, September 1986 - A long-time resident of a small
rural community was injured while feeding a bear at his residence. The
victim had been feeding bears at this location for more than 30
years."


  #18  
Old September 5th 07, 08:29 PM posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
Bruce in Alaska
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

In article .com,
Bruce Jensen wrote:

This is not a challenge, but simply an effort to learn - If you have a
reference for a male bear attacking its own offspring, I would like to
see it. My reading has suggested that males will attempt to kill
other children, but not his own.


Since Male Bear do NOT Hybernate, (Den up) with Female Bears after
there second winter, just how does a Male Bear know if another
Bear is its offspring? Male and Female Bears only come together
during Mating, and otherwise spend most of their time singley, after
leaving MOM, in the Spring of their Second Year. Yearling cubs
ARE a Food Source for Black Bears, if they should come across them in
late Fall. (Just before Denning Up for the winter) The extra Fat
Content is very welcome as a Nitie Nite Snack, before the long sleep.
We had a Sow, Shot & Killed (Long Sad Tale - Picture of the Three, on my
Website - www.99850.net) here last Fall, that had three cubs. All were
eaten by other Black Bears within 2 weeks of moms demise. Just Nature
doing it's thing......


Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @
  #19  
Old September 5th 07, 09:05 PM posted to rec.bicycles.soc
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:29:22 GMT, Bruce in Alaska
wrote:


Since Male Bear do NOT Hybernate, (Den up) with Female Bears after
there second winter, just how does a Male Bear know if another
Bear is its offspring?


The younger bear asks for money and the keys to the car?
  #20  
Old September 5th 07, 11:53 PM posted to alt.mountain-bike,ca.environment,rec.backcountry,rec.bicycles.soc,sci.environment
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 57
Default Black bear attacks mountain biker in Washington State park

Mike, your ignorance of wildlife and factless statements become irritating.
While black bear attacks on humans are rather rare, as a carnivore, they can
and do attack humans from time to time. The probability of an attack is
measured in the 1 to 400 million or more (given the number of recreational
visitor days a year in black bear country). The motivation for the attack
can range from protecting cubs (and yes I would suggest this is one of the
more common reasons), to being startled or surprised by human (usually
hikers on a trail) appearing in their path, to viewing humans as a
competitor (i.e., protecting a food source) to even viewing humans in very
rare cases as a form of food (what appears to have happen in Utah). The
bear in Utah had apparently bothered someone in a tent the previous day and
the bear did not stumble into the tent looking for food, sliced the tent
open and took the boy (much as they do fawns) off into the brush to eat him.
I can provide reasonable assurance, he was not frisking the boy for a PB&J,
but actually viewed him as food. We are left with a great deal of
uncertainty as to why this particular bear saw this boy in this case as food
as these types of events are rare and therefore we lack any statistical
reason to account for it. The crazy bear theory is as good as any. Some
carnivores (as a species) are rather aggressive toward humans such as
leopards, tigers and African lions, while others only rarely cross that line
- black bears fall into the latter category.

While it is not unreasonable to querry the use the lethal option in this
case - keep in mind, Wildlife Services and timber companies are killing
thousands of bears a year for girdling trees, while sport hunters throughout
North America are killing several thousand more. In addition, state game
agencies in North America are killing several hundred more bears because of
bear-human conflicts. Placed into context, the loss of one bear from a mt.
biker pales when compared to the thousands upon thousands of bears killed
because of real or percieved conflicts with humans on foot.

ummm, do you think Mikey has lost all perceptive. Yeah.
 




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