Bear Attack

[ozmeath]

I'm glad our bears are cute, dopey and a an eighth of the size here in Oz. I wonder if I can buy shark repellant though...that'd be handy.And If I lived much further north I'd want some anti-crocodile spray too, but they usually just call them shotguns.
You guys on the American continent are definately not on the end of the food chain.You be careful SB.

[GlassMan]

I saw an update about this on the news. It stated that a bear had been trapped in the area and immediately euthanized. Now they are scouring the area to make sure that they killed the right one.

I'm sorry, but isn't that rather like "shoot first, ask questions later?" What if that wasn't the right bear?

I really wish they'd given more information to explain why the animal was killed if they weren't certain. Was it acting vicious as well?

I sincerely hope that they are not just trapping any and all bears in the area and killing them until they feel certain that they've eliminated the threat.

[KiltedKnight]

This is one black bear that won't cause anyone any more trouble since it's one of my sporrans now, also the claw at the bottom was once part of a giant Kodiak. This is my second attempt at posting picks so bear with me....no pun intended...

http://files.tagworld.com/08c17d599e...4e76a9aa9.jpeg

Chris.

[kiltimabar]

This is one black bear that won't cause anyone any more trouble since it's one of my sporrans now, also the claw at the bottom was once part of a giant Kodiak. This is my second attempt at posting picks so bear with me....no pun intended...

http://files.tagworld.com/08c17d599e...4e76a9aa9.jpeg

Chris.

That sporran looks more like it came from the endangered Tusked Ewok...

but seriously, that bear attack was a tragedy, and certainly not usual behavior for a black bear, who normally avoid people except those they have trained to approach them with food and cameras. Kodiak or northern brown and grizzly bears though, are not timid or docile since they are used to being the biggest and meanest things in the valley. In that case if they think you are on the menu only a heavy rifle will save you--you will not frighten or outrun them.

There also has been a recent mountain lion attack on a child hiker. It leaped on the last one in line of a group, but was frightened away by the rest making noise and frantic gestures (didn't hear of a kilt being involved but it probably would have worked). Mountain lions also usually avoid people but burgeoning numbers of protected cougars and housing developments are leading to more frequent contacts.

[Southern Breeze]

I saw an update about this on the news. It stated that a bear had been trapped in the area and immediately euthanized. Now they are scouring the area to make sure that they killed the right one.

I'm sorry, but isn't that rather like "shoot first, ask questions later?" What if that wasn't the right bear?

I really wish they'd given more information to explain why the animal was killed if they weren't certain. Was it acting vicious as well?

I sincerely hope that they are not just trapping any and all bears in the area and killing them until they feel certain that they've eliminated the threat.

Here's what I've been told about killing the bears: They do this to preserve any forensic evidence. There also tends to be only a few bears in any one area.
This was not however bear normal behavior.

[The Supreme Canuck]

You guys on the American continent are definately not on the end of the food chain.You be careful SB.

Which is why, if I ever go camping up north, I'm bringing a rather sizeable rifle. I don't want to use it, but if a big, angry, furry thing is running at me, all bets are off.

[Riverkilt]

Sad, a 6yo child was killed, what a horrible way to die.

Have read lots on bear avoidance and bear defense. Wonder what would/could have happened if someone there was kilted and could have "unkilted" and swung their unwrapped kilt in full circles over their head.

Would it have driven off the bear?....or attracted the bear....

Need more research on bears and swinging kilts....could it be that hiking kilted would turn out to be the best bear defense?

Really....

I'm serious here....

I really am.

Ron

[Southern Breeze]

Sad, a 6yo child was killed, what a horrible way to die.

Have read lots on bear avoidance and bear defense. Wonder what would/could have happened if someone there was kilted and could have "unkilted" and swung their unwrapped kilt in full circles over their head.

Would it have driven off the bear?....or attracted the bear....

Need more research on bears and swinging kilts....could it be that hiking kilted would turn out to be the best bear defense?

Really....

I'm serious here....

I really am.

Ron

Maybe Andrew can research this while on his upcoming hike.

In the light of this attack I've gotten nervous about bears. I've encounterd several and by the time I knew they were there they were headed the other way.

[mddock58]

Not always, but usually the error with Bears, is our own ignorance.

I have seen many campers and hikers ignore the warnings and leave food too close to their camp, and even in their tents assuming a bear will not bother them.

Then when they do encounter a bear, they think they can scare it away, or the bear looks so cute, they get too close!

I have even seen some prople complain to the rangers in the park about the bears, when their own stupidity caused the problem in the first place.

Now I don't know the specifics of this case, and I am not judging them, but there are many reasons that could have caused the "attack", and it is extremely sad that a child died because of it.