Tag: Attack

Watch: Angry tiger reacts to ‘intrusive’ tourists in safari vehicle

Footage from India shows the agitated tiger charging an open-topped jeep full of tourists, including at least one child.

Wild animals exhibit remarkable restraint when tourists in vehicles violate their space. But occasionally, they lash out.

Video footage shared Sunday by a member of the Indian Forest Service shows an agitated tiger aggressively charging an open-topped vehicle before responding to loud sounds made by a guide and retreating into the forest.

(Click here to view the footage.)

“Sometimes, our ‘too much’ eagerness for ‘Tiger sighting’ is nothing but intrusion in their life,” Surender Mehra bemoaned via X.

Viewers might note that, with the vehicle just yards from the tiger, at least one infant can be heard in the audio.

The post brings to question the issue of responsible tourism, as in, how close is too close for the safety of wildlife and tourists? (In most regions of the world, any action that glaringly alters the behavior of a wild animal might be considered harassment.)

Reads one of the top comments: “But why [do] the visitors have to risk their life in an open jeep? One leap by the tiger can cause heart attacks to some of them sitting in the jeep. The thrill will vanish in a second.”

The top comment is from a follower who seemed to imply that had the tourists remained silent during the encounter, the tiger might not have felt compelled to lash out:

“Worst is the constant jabbering by tourists – they just won’t keep quiet!”

River otter pulls child off dock and underwater in harrowing attack

A child walking down a dock with their mother was snatched by a river otter and pulled underwater in a frightening encounter in Washington.

A child walking down a dock with their mother was snatched by a river otter and pulled underwater in a harrowing encounter in Bremerton, Washington.

A moment later, when the child resurfaced, the mother grabbed the child and lifted them out of the water as the river otter continued to attack, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The frightening incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Bremerton Marina, located west of Seattle.

The mother was bitten in the arm, and the child sustained scratches and bites to the top of the head, face and legs. The river otter continued to pursue them as they left the dock.

The child, whose name and gender were not released, was treated at St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, the Kitsap Sun reported.

“We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries, due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency,” WDFW Sergeant Ken Balazs said. “We would also like to thank the Port of Bremerton for their quick coordination and communication to their marina tenants.”

Also on FTW Outdoors: Whale tosses snorkeler out of the water in scary encounter

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services was called in by fish and wildlife officers to trap and lethally remove river otters from the marina. One river otter was trapped at the scene and was transported to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for further evaluation, including testing for rabies.

More from the WDFW:

River otters (Lontra canadensis) are relatively common throughout Washington and can be found in fresh, brackish, or saltwater habitats. The species is mostly aquatic, though they can spend considerable time out of water. River otters are classified as a furbearer in Washington, meaning they are a game species that can be trapped. Although encounters with river otters are rare, they can be territorial and, like any wildlife, are inherently unpredictable.

There have been six documented human-river otter incidents in Washington in the last decade.

Heather Pugh, founder of the Bremerton Marina Tenants Group, told the Kitsap Sun that “The Bremerton Marina is located in the Puget Sound marine environment, and occasionally will see harbor seals, salmon, otters, and even Orca that have been in the waters nearby or adjacent to the marina.

“The natural wildlife often travel following the shoreline currents or seeking schools of small fish in the shallow waters. The marina has not experienced any incident like this with river otters.”

Idaho hunters kill grizzly bear after one hunter is attacked

The two men were archery hunting for elk when the bear charged from close range, biting one man and knocking him to the ground.

An archery hunter in Idaho was knocked to the ground and bitten by a grizzly bear Sunday, but he and his partner pulled sidearms and killed the bear.

Both men dialed 911 after the incident. As Monday afternoon, the injured hunter was recovering from non-life-threatening wounds at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the hunters were targeting elk west of Henrys Lake in Island Park when the attack occurred.

“Both men were able to utilize their sidearms to shoot the bear, deterring the attack,” Fish and Game explained in a news release.

Conservation officers responded to the scene and determined “that the hunters acted in self-defense during a surprise encounter with the bear from a very close distance.”

Grizzly bears are protected by state and federal law. Killing them while hunting is legal only in self-defense.

Henrys Lake is in the Caribou-Targhee National Park, about 15 miles west of Yellowstone National Park.

–Grizzly bear image courtesy of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Canada man attacked by grizzly bear while tracking black bear

The 36-year-old man suffered significant injuries, including broken bones, during an attack that turned out even worse for the grizzly bear.

A 36-year-old British Columbia man suffered significant injuries during a grizzly bear attack that occurred as he and his father tracked a black bear with dogs.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Sparwood resident suffered “numerous injuries, broken bones and lacerations to his body during the attack,” which occurred May 16 south of Elkford.

“The man was able to defend himself with his firearm and the bear ran off,” the RCMP continued Monday in a news release. “The other man, his father, called for help.”

The incident occurred in rugged terrain on a steep mountainside. Several agencies participated in the rescue of the man, who was airlifted to Calgary Foothills Hospital and listed in stable condition.

A Conservation Officer team later found the adult grizzly bear dead in the same area.

The spring black bear hunting season in British Columbia runs through June 30. Grizzly bear hunting is banned in the province.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Lion attack on safari truck inspires warning: ‘Respect the locals’

Video footage shows the lion biting the vehicle and growling as an emphatic warning to back off.

A South Africa-based tour company has shared footage showing a lion biting a safari vehicle and growling as an emphatic warning for the intruders to back off.

Lucien Beaumont of Beaumont Adventures used the footage to remind anyone planning a safari to respect wild critters at all times.

“ALWAYS RESPECT THE LOCALS,” Beaumont exclaimed on Instagram. “Whilst on safari, always remember that the animals are not there for our viewing pleasure… we are merely visitors in their home environment!”

In the footage the backs slowly away while the lion, still agitated, turns its back and glances over its shoulder as if to see if its warning was heeded.

Reads a top comment: “Well said. This lion’s reaction needs to be shared. He is the boss and needs full respect. Too often one sees humans take advantage of their safety within their vehicle.”

The footage was shared via X by Lion Lovers, a page dedicated to lions in Africa, which stated: “Totally agree! Their home, their space, respect it!”

–Image courtesy of Lucien Beaumont

Bald eagle’s porch attack on Yorkie warrants another look

A recent owl attack on a man and his dog is reminiscent of a bald eagle attack on a Yorkie that was captured on video.

News item: Owl swoops toward dog and returns seconds later to attack the dog’s owner this week in Medfield, Mass. The dog is OK and its owner is nursing minor head wounds.

Reaction: Large birds of prey can be territorial, especially during fall/winter nesting seasons. They might also perceive small dogs as prey.

The incident, which was not captured on video, is reminiscent of a 2022 bald eagle attack on a Yorkie in broad daylight in British Columbia.

That extraordinary scene, which includes frantic yelps and a nearly successful porch theft of the Yorkie, was caught on video. The footage is posted below and might serve as a reminder to keep small pets close at all times.

Hiker shares footage of bison attack, admits ‘I was too close’

A Texas hiker has shared video footage showing events leading to her being attacked by a bison – admittedly because she had wandered too close to the animal.

A Texas hiker has shared footage showing events leading to her being attacked by a bison – admittedly because she had wandered too close to the animal.

Rebecca Clark, who was hospitalized after the incident, uploaded her footage to TikTok six days ago. She had been hiking alone at Caprice Canyons State Park & Railway when she approached a small bison herd and hoped to pass safely at a close distance.

As Clark spoke to the bison in a friendly tone, one turned and charged.

ALSO: Biologists discover huge grizzly bear den with ‘spectacular view’

“I was charged and gored by a bison because I was too CLOSE to be passing them on a trailway,” Clark recalled. “They are beautiful creatures protected by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and are a part of the Texas State Bison Restoration Project where the park has restored the historic Charles Goodnight Bison herd to a portion of its former range in the park.”

(Click here to view the footage if it does not appear below. Note, the footage contains salty language.)

@rebeccaclark

Solo hiking at Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway in Texas. I was charged and gored by a bison because I was to CLOSE to be passing them on a trailway They are beautiful creatures protected by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and are a part of the Texas State Bison Restoration Project where the park has restored the historic Charles Goodnight Bison herd (The Official Texas State Bison Herd) to a portion of its former range in the park. I am posting to support safety while enjoying Texas State Parks #TPWD #bisonetiquette101 #hikingsafety #llbean #chaos #rei

♬ dumb dumb – sped up – mazie

The footage shows the aggravated bison beginning its charge and, while the footage does not show the bison making contact with Clark, viewers can hear the fear in Clark’s voice as contact was initiated by the animal.

In a follow-up video, Clark explained that she was recovering after being rammed in the back and flung into a mesquite bush.

“I am posting to support safety while enjoying Texas State Parks,” clark stated in the first video.

While bison might appear docile, they’re unpredictable and incredibly powerful. Male bison can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.

Several ramming incidents were reported earlier this year in Yellowstone National Park, where more than 5,000 bison roam inside park boundaries.

At Caprice Canyons State Park & Trailway, visitors are cautioned to maintain a distance of 50 yards from bison. The park cautions that bison will raise their tails and sometimes paw the ground when they become agitated.

These are obvious signs that it’s time to slowly back away.

Woman, dog attacked by cougar along California highway

A woman who stopped alongside a California highway to walk her dog became involved in a harrowing ordeal in which she and the dog were attacked by a mountain lion.

A woman who stopped alongside a California highway Monday to walk her dog became involved in a harrowing ordeal in which she fought valiantly to try to save her dog from a mountain lion attack.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife late Tuesday issued a news release explaining that the attack on the woman and dog occurred along State Route 299 in Trinity County.

The unidentified woman had pulled over near a picnic area and had begun to walk on a path, with her Belgian Malinois just ahead of her, when the mountain lion, or cougar, swiped its paw across her left shoulder.

ALSO: Surreal footage shows rare orca encounter off Cape Cod

The woman screamed and the dog returned to confront the mountain lion, which bit the dog’s head and maintained a vice-like grip despite the woman hurling rocks at the cougar.

“The woman attempted to throw rocks, tug and pull them apart, and even attempted to gouge the eyes out of the lion, to no avail,” the CDFW stated in the news release.

The woman ran to the highway and flagged down a motorist, who sprayed the mountain lion with pepper spray. But that did not work.

When the mountain lion began to drag the dog from the trail, the woman and the passerby struck the cat with a PVC pipe, and the cat released its grip.

The dog was treated by a veterinarian and as of Tuesday night the extent of its injuries was unclear. The woman drove herself to a hospital in Redding, where she was treated for non-life-threatening bite wounds and scratches.

The CDFW stated that while “appropriate samples” were still being analyzed, interviews with the victim, passerby, veterinarian and physician appeared sufficient for officials to treat their investigation as a “legitimate attack.”

–Mountain lion image is generic

After fatal attack on surfer, one great white shark grabs spotlight

After a fatal shark attack involving a bodyboarder on Christmas Eve off Morro Bay, Ca., a prominent researcher could not say whether one of the great white sharks tagged by his group was involved.

After a shark killed a bodyboarder on Christmas Eve off Morro Bay, Ca., a prominent researcher could not say whether one of the great white sharks tagged by his group was involved.

“I’ve gotten a lot of messages because of the unfortunate fatal shark encounter at The Pit (Morro Bay),” Michael Domeier, president of the Marine Conservation Science Institute, stated on Instagram. “A male bodyboarder was bitten and he succumbed to the injuries. First, my heart goes out to the family and friends of the victim.

“Second, no I don’t know if the shark was Poe Girl, or any of our other tagged sharks. The probability of it being one of our sharks is very low, since we’ve tagged such a small percentage of the overall population.”

The victim, a 31-year-old man, has not been officially identified.

Poe Girl, an adult female white shark measuring 17-plus feet, was tagged off Point Conception for MCSI by Keith Poe on Nov. 23, 2017.

On Christmas Day, Poe Girl pinged a position 24 miles south of Morro Bay. Domeier acknowledged to FTW Outdoors that “she could have easily been in Morro Bay that day, but that’s all one can say about it. There are so many other white sharks around, there’s no way to say it was her.”

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MCSI-tagged sharks can be tracked by the public via an app, but a shark has to surface under the right conditions to reveal a new position.

Since Poe Girl was tagged she has traveled extensively to the west and south, even inside Mexico’s Gulf of California, or Sea of Cortez. Understandably, she’s often detected closer to Central California home waters, where she and other white sharks prey seasonally on elephant seals.

In mid-November, Poe Girl was positioned beyond Surf Beach at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, south of Morro Bay.

Fatal shark encounters occurred at Surf Beach almost exactly two years apart in October 2010 and 2012. A nonfatal bite, also attributed to a white shark, occurred in 2014. (Surf Beach is accessible to the public.)

In October, Poe Girl was positioned off El Capitan State Beach near Santa Barbara.

“She is not your everyday Southern California juvenile; she’s a massive adult that you should avoid,” Domeier cautioned surfers at the time, via Instagram.

Poe told FTW Outdoors that on a tagging expedition to Point Conception last month, “I had white sharks at my boat hundreds of times. There are so many, it’s incredible.”

So there’s nothing that implicates Poe Girl in the Christmas Eve attack (or any other), besides the fact that she was in the general vicinity at the time.

Her presence might be unnerving, but most surfers are aware that they share the ocean with untagged sharks, too, and accept the extremely low risk of being bitten every time they paddle out.

–Top image shows Morro Rock   

Great white shark tracked to ‘infamous’ California surfing beach

A great white shark has been hanging out near shore at a popular California surfing destination known for shark attacks.

A great white shark has been hanging out near shore at a popular California surfing destination known for shark attacks.

Michael Domeier of the Marine Conservation Science Institute stated via Instagram Friday that the female white shark was positioned off “infamous” Surf Beach at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc.

Fatal shark attacks occurred in that area, north of Santa Barbara, almost exactly two years apart in October 2010 and 2012. A nonfatal attack, also attributed to a great white shark, occurred in 2014. (Surf Beach is open to the public.)

The tagged white shark currently off Surf Beach is named Betty White. She was a sub-adult 12-foot female when she was tagged off Southern California in 2020.

ALSO ON FTW OUTDOORS: Rare battle between rhino and buffalo caught on video

Dozens of sharks tagged by the MCSI can be tracked via the group’s Expedition White Shark app.

The app on Friday and Saturday showed Betty White on land near Lompoc.

Domeier, MCSI president and executive director, explained that the peculiar  positioning “just demonstrates the imprecision of location estimates that are based on the Doppler Effect.”

Still, the sight of a yellow dorsal fin marker well inland inspired attempts at humor beneath Domeier’s post.

“You sure Betty wasn’t hitting up the Starbucks in Albertsons?” one person commented.

To which Domeier replied: “Or maybe looking for a CA dispensary before heading back to [Hawaii].”

–Generic white shark image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas