Bear – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Colorado sheepherder hospitalized after bear attack

A Colorado sheepherder is recovering from a bear attack that left him with bite wounds to the head and multiple lacerations and scratches.

The Tuesday incident, at about 1 a.m. in the Weminuche Wilderness northeast of Durango, marked the state’s first bear attack this year.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the 35-year-old man reported waking to sounds of a black bear interacting with sheep.

He fired a rifle at the bear moments before it charged. After the attack, the man crawled into his tent and contacted his cousin, asking for help.

The man was airlifted to Mercy Regional Medical Center and later transferred to Grand Junction for surgery.

ALSO: ‘Dominant’ brown bears brawl over fishing rights at Brooks Falls, Alaska

Colorado Parks and Wildlife collected DNA samples from the victim and at the scene near the Burnt Timber Trail. Officers found the man’s rifle and two dead sheep near a trail of blood.

CPW, with help from the Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, initiated a search and located what they believed to be the offending bear.

An APHIS officer shot and killed the animal.

CPW stated in a news release: “Because the bear made contact with a human, it is classified under CPW policy as an attack and the agency’s policy is to euthanize the bear.”

CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta added: “This is a difficult part of the job. But when it comes to injuries to humans as a result of a predator attack, human health and safety is our top priority.”

The bear, an adult male weighing about 250 pounds, had sustained chest wounds but CPW had not determined whether they were from the victim’s rifle.

The bear’s stomach contents contained sheep wool but Archuleta said, “Until we get results back from the lab regarding DNA testing, we can’t 100% confirm that this is the offending bear. But based on the information we have at this point, we feel confident that it is the offending bear.”

–Generic black bear image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Momma bear persuades cubs to scale wall in adorable footage

A Colorado Springs motorist has captured footage showing three bear cubs trying to scale a rock wall in order to join momma bear.

In the KKTV 11 News footage, captured by Jeremy Johnson, momma black bear has already scaled the wall and is encouraging her cubs to follow.

But the roadside wall is steep and the tiny cubs are new at climbing.

Momma bear seems to realizes this, and is about to descend the wall when one cub safely scrambles up and over.

This seems to inspire the other cubs, one of which follows the route taken by the first cub.

Rooting them on, Johnson says in the video, “Come on little guys, you can do it. Climb! Climb!”

Mission accomplished, the bear family continues its adventure safely off the road, albeit in somebody’s yard.

Reads the top comment beneath the KKTV 11 post:

“So smart. That second one saw where the first one went and moved there. This is so cute. Nothing like life in the Springs.”

Another popular comment: “Awww… such a good lesson here too… Sometimes we gotta let them figure it out.”

Watch: Wild horses flee with grizzly bear in hot pursuit

A trail camera in Alberta, Canada has captured footage showing a grizzly bear chasing wild horses, likely in the hope of capturing a foal.

A trail camera in Canada has captured footage of a grizzly bear chasing wild horses, likely in the hope of capturing a foal.

The accompanying footage, shared June 16 by the Help Alberta Wildies Society (HAWS), shows several horses sprinting across a creek, followed seconds later by the charging grizzly bear.

Days later, HAWS explained in another video post that the band of horses included two foals. That footage showed the horses before “the chase” and the narrator said it was not clear if the bear succeeded in its hunt.

“[A] grizzly can sustain a run at 25-28 mph for up to 2 miles,” HAWS explained. “We won’t know until our next camera run if all of this band made it.”

The nonprofit’s cameras documented a similar but more dramatic scene in May 2022. The footage (posted below) shows a head-on view of the horses running for their lives and the bear in ferocious pursuit.

After that incident, HAWS stated: “The next time someone tells you that the Wild Horses have no natural predators, send them to me. We are losing a lot of horses this year, sooner and quicker than in past years. Not just the foals. Adults also.”

–Image is a video screen grab

MORE: Can you spot the hidden animal in these 14 photos?

Watch: Man gets out of car to chase bear in Yellowstone; gets vilified

A man who harassed a bear is being sought by authorities, and if he’s caught, he could face six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

A man who got out of his vehicle to yell at and chase a bear in or close to Yellowstone National Park is being sought by authorities, and if he’s caught, he could face six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

“We are aware of this egregious incident, and it is under investigation,” Yellowstone National Park spokeswoman Morgan Warthin told the Cowboy State Daily. “We are not confident that the incident occurred in Yellowstone National Park.”

Video of the man was posted online by Tourons of Yellowstone (the owner of the site admitting he/she was unable to verify the exact location) and shared by Cowboy State Daily.

YouTube commenters did not hold back in their criticism of the man whose actions were reckless, no matter where it occurred.

Among the reactions:

“I wish the bear would have said ‘come here honey.'”

“The video would have been a lot more entertaining if the bear came after him.”

“Proving yet again that Americans do not deserve what’s left of this country’s natural environment.”

“He’s going to jail or fined pretty good.”

“I hope they find out who he is and locks him up plus a fine. Bear should have ran after him.”

Also on FTW Outdoors: Meeting between Yellowstone grizzlies has unexpected outcome (video)

“Darwin Award incoming.”

“Not sure what the answer to this level of stupidity is but it lies with parenting at the root level.”

“Dumb way to die. So many dumb ways to die.”

“Is it bad of me in hoping the bear would turn around, chase and maul him?”

“Later that week the same Bear posted this video on his YouTube channel titled…’Terrifying encounter with rabid human.’”

“Hopefully someone who knows him and sees this vid will turn him in.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, the same “touron” was seen harassing another black bear, as posted on the Tourons of Yellowstone Instagram page.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone)

In this video, the bear wasn’t as intimidated as the other. This one made a false charge, sending the idiot back to his vehicle.

“Can’t wait to see the final video,” one commenter on Instagram wrote.

Watch: Bear swims for its life after getting swept away in raging rapids

Officials have been making public warnings about staying out of the Yuba River because it’s raging, but a bear failed to heed the warning.

Local officials in California have been making public warnings about staying out of the Yuba River because the spring runoff has more than doubled in size because of the heavy snowpack, making it far more dangerous than usual.

But a black bear failed to heed the warning.

On Saturday, the bear attempted to cross the Yuba River and got swept away in the raging whitewater.

Video of the event was captured by Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Stewart, who was standing on the back deck of the Washington Hotel adjacent the river, according to the Sacramento Bee.

The video shows the bear getting swept down the rapids and going underwater several times as its frantically swims as hard as it can toward the safety of the shore.

“No human could have survived that,” the Washington, California Fire Department wrote on Facebook.

“That bear was swimming for its life…a dog or person would have been gone,” a commenter wrote on Facebook.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Momma bear rescues panicking, crying cub in swift river crossing

The bear did finally make it to shore and shook off the water like a dog.

Stewart told ABC10 the bear weighed about 300 pounds.

“Well, I guess we should add another language to the ‘Stay out, stay alive’ campaign!’” the Washington, California Fire Department wrote on Facebook.

Photo courtesy of ViralHog.

Man shoots bear; a day later, the same bear attacks the man

An Oregon man who shot a bear that had been harassing his chickens had the tables turned on him when the injured bear attacked him.

Craig Lankford of La Grande shot the bear Tuesday evening, and when he went searching for it Wednesday morning, he encountered it near his property and shot it again. Shortly after that, the bear attacked Lankford.

Responding to a 911 call around 7:37 a.m., medical services and Sheriff Deputies arrived on the scene at the same time. Roads were closed as was the adjoining Mount Emily Recreation Area due to the danger of the injured bear.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Yellowstone officials seeking man who caused death of bison calf

The Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife arrived a short time later and made a search plan to find the bear, which they did at 10:44 a.m. The bear was shot and killed. A necropsy proved it was the same bear involved in the attack.

Lankford was treated at an area hospital. He suffered injuries to his arms and head but is expected to recover.

“We are grateful Mr. Lankford survived this encounter and wish him a smooth and speedy recovery,” ODFW Watershed Manager Jeff Yanke said.

From the ODFW:

Wounded bears can be dangerous. ODFW is aware of at least three incidents when wounded bears attacked hunters who had shot but not killed them. None were fatal.

Bear attacks are rare but tend to occur when bears are wounded, when they are being fed by people and lose their natural wariness, or when they are surprised by people or their dogs. Oregon has not documented any fatal bear attacks.

Oregon is home to an estimated 25,000-30,000 bears. Everyone recreating outdoors or living in bear country is encouraged to take simple steps to reduce the risk of bear encounters and conflict. More information is available at https://myodfw.com/articles/help-keep-bears-wild.

Generic photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

Bear kills dog in Jasper National Park, a warning for pet owners

The mauling of a dog by a bear Saturday in Canada’s Jasper National Park underscores the risk associated with bringing pets into the wilderness.

The fatal mauling of a dog by a bear Saturday in Canada’s Jasper National Park underscores the risk associated with bringing pets into the wilderness.

Parks Canada, which manages the country’s national parks, confirmed Monday that a black bear attacked and killed one of two dogs being walked by visitors on the Wabasso Lake Trail.

Jasper National Park, in Alberta, described the incident in a news release: “They were approached at close range by a black bear and the bear attacked one of the dogs. The hikers then deployed bear spray in an effort to deter the bear.”

Parks Canada did not mention the type of dog or whether its was illegally allowed off-leash. But Jasper National Park stated: “This is a sad reminder that all pets should be kept under control and on-leash at all times within a national park.”

A team of human-wildlife confrontation experts responded to the incident, which remains under investigation. The area is closed while experts try to locate the bear involved in the attack.

–Generic black bear image courtesy of Alan D. Wilson

Black bear breaks into nature center, kills beloved deer

A nature center in Asheville, N.C., has announced the passing of two beloved white-tailed deer after a wild black bear broke into their enclosure.

“With heavy hearts, the WNC Nature Center is sad to report the loss of Becca and Curly, our two white-tailed deer, last week,” the facility stated on Facebook. “They were found in the early morning, and though there are still some unanswered questions, it would appear that a wild black bear entered their exhibit and either directly or indirectly caused their passing.”

Becca, who was brought to the facility as a fawn in 2013, was featured in the Oscar-winning movie, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”

Curly was born in 2012 and kept illegally as a pet before joining Becca at the center in 2020.

Chris Gentile, director of the WNC Nature Center, stated in a news release:

“This was an unfortunate accident that has never before occurred within our animal collection. While it’s a rare occurrence for something like this to happen, our Animal Care and Maintenance Teams have taken additional measures to dissuade and deter wild animals from entering our animal exhibits.”

Gentile told News 13 that the facility has since bolstered perimeter and exhibit fencing, and completed other improvements designed to prevent future intrusions by bears from the surrounding wilderness.

Gentile added: “Obviously we’re talking about two animals that have been with us for a while. I think the best thing to say right now is, our team is healing from this. It’s a very sad day for us.”

For her part in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Becca was trained to stand in front of a bluescreen for footage edited into a touching scene with co-star Frances McDormand as Mildred Hayes. (The scene is posted above.)

Watch: Tiny cub getting assist from momma bear is ‘cuteness overload’

A newborn cub was lagging behind, prompting momma bear to hastily go back to retrieve it as traffic waited for the road to clear.

Traffic in a small Connecticut town came to a standstill Sunday when a momma bear appeared in the road and hastily retreated to retrieve its newborn cub, which was lagging behind.

Momma bear dragged the tiny cub into the middle of the first lane, dropped it and apparently told it to follow her. Before exiting the road, momma bear turned to ensure the cub made it safely across.

The encounter occurred in Avon with footage captured by a bicyclist.

The person who posted the video described it like this to ViralHog:

“I was riding my bike and came across a Mama Bear trying to cross the road with her newborn cub. The Mama bear was very protective and stared at both sides of the road to ensure that there was no danger and then began crossing the road. She had to go back and drag her cub onto the road, after which this little tiny cub cutely crosses the road.”

Also on FTW Outdoors: Angler pulls 57-pound trout through the ice; ‘I was frozen’

The reaction from viewers was predictable. A sampling from the commenters on the YouTube post:

“Oh my…cuteness overload, I’ve never seen a baby cub so small. Thank you for posting this.”

“That cub is so very tiny! I love that the people stopped to allow mama bear to get her cub across safely to the other side.”

“Beautiful.”

“That is the smallest cub I have ever seen.”

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Bear stuck in ice given Pop Tarts during ill-advised rescue attempt

A Minnesota bear that picked the wrong place to hibernate wound up stuck in the ice in a culvert alongside a road near Wannaska.

A Minnesota bear that picked the wrong place to hibernate wound up stuck in the ice in a culvert alongside a road near Wannaska, leading to an ineffective and ill-advised rescue by a well-intentioned public.

Area residents discovered the stuck bear Sunday and attempted to dig the bear out that evening, as reported by TwinCities.com.

“We were going to go out there and take every precaution necessary, but basically we just wanted to dig it free enough so it could get out,” Spencer Krohn told TwinCities.com.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Ice fisherman catches odd-looking fish that was considered suspicious

Some “well-meaning folks” started to dig the bear out and tried to feed it before officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources arrived and blocked off the area as evening arrived.

Before then, the citizen rescuers had “served him up a smorgasbord of six Pop Tarts, a head of lettuce, a dead sucker minnow, some Fancy Feast cat food, bird seed and a Swedish fish,” DNR stated on its Facebook Page.

“That might work for ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ in Eric Carle’s book, but it’s no good for bears,” DNR wrote. “Luckily, because bears don’t have the desire to eat in the winter, the bear didn’t bite.”

The next morning, the bear was sedated by biologists and relocated to another den at the Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area in Marshall County.

The bear denned up in a culvert that began flowing during a recent warmup and became stuck when it tried relocating.

“He tried to push himself out and kind of got wedged on some frozen water that had frozen and thawed, frozen and thawed, and got stuck in place and tired,” Andy Tri, bear project leader for the DNR, told TwinCities.com.

Using a rope with “paw cuffs,” conservation officers spent 20 minutes to extract the drugged bear from its icy predicament.

Tri examined the bear and pronounced him healthy, estimated its age at 6 years and its weight at 375 to 400 pounds, and said it was a male.

“If you’re ever concerned about a bear’s safety by all means give us a call,” the DNR wrote on Facebook. “But don’t try to move it or feed it! Doing so can result in a bad situation (either for you or for the bear).”

Tri told TwinCities, “I was worried we’d have a sick bear mortally wounded or gravely injured or something like that. This is a happy story all the way around.”

Photos of the stuck bear, drugged bear and relocated bear courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.