Black Bear Kills a 6 Year Old and Injures two Others!

Well, this stood out when I was reading national headlines this morning. Apparantly a black bear killed a 6 year old girl and injured a toddler and their mother. Here is the link for the article Black Bear .

I wonder what could have caused this bear to be so agressive, considering bears rarely attack people. It must have been one of those bears that is used to humans and handouts, I'm afraid.

grouseking

Well, I guess the same question can be asked of people. Why do we have the occasional murder in areas of low crime ? As smart as we humans think we are, there is still so much we do not know. A very unfortunate incident indeed.

It should be said that this occurred in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, southwest of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Condolences to the family.

Related story here

While it surly is tragic, It's not -UNPRECEDENTED-. This fatal attack occurred about 80-100 miles away back in 2000. In that case it seems the attack was predacious in nature. In this one, I think they might find that this will be what's termed a "provoked" attack.

Not that that means "justified bear behavior", but it does mention that several other in the party were attempting to "move" the bear off the trail. Perhaps, the beer took offense and lashed out. Black bears, while more docile, certainly are capable of attacking humans.

In this great -LANDMARK- book, there is a chapter on Black bears and it does state that they will, on occasion "prey" on humans (which is different than Grizzlies that primarily attack in defense). It also states that children are generally more prone to be the victims of these encounters.

A child was -KILLED- in downstate NY in 2002 by a bear as well. So while very rare, it does happen.

A parent that regularly takes my kids into the woods, this is truly sobering as well as tragic. My thought go out to the family.

pilgrim said:

Related story here

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In my only trip to Colorado, I went to the Flagstaff Mtn area...kinda sends a shiver down my spine. Not that I was scared then or now, but I was like...man I was there not too long ago...same time of year..and a kid was attacked by a mountain lion.

grouseking

Rangers had tagged the adult bear in 1998 and had placed an orphaned cub with her. Miller said the animal wasn't known as a problem bear.


Taken from Mavs' link on fatal attack outside of Gatlinsburg--
I can't help but wonder after reading this statement about wildlife officials placing an orphaned cub with this bear (and not sure by timeline if the yearling that was with her was this cub) had placed some pressure additional pressure on this female bear.

When I read statements like, "unprovoked attacks"...well...it really just bugs me -- preaching to the converted here I am sure, but habituation *in my mind* is provocation.

Every time there is a black bear attack, the bear advocates trot out the well worn myth that black bears are harmless. This is nonsense, black bears are opportunistic predators and will take any prey that seems easy. They have no reason to accord humans a special "protected" status. They have avoided humans in the past because they were heavily hunted. Now that bear hunting is greatly restricted or banned in most areas, bear numbers are climbing and so are the number of incidents. I am glad to see the bears recover, but the fear of bears is not illogical. As Black bear numbers have expanded their wild habitat has shrunk, and the number of adverse encounters will continue to grow.

John,

You make a very good point and I couldn't agree more. I think one could make the same argument for mountain lions as well, especially when one considers that their habitat is also shrinking, as the outskirts of suburbia are pushed further and further into their natural habitat. I would be willing to bet that the mountain lions involved in these attacks have seen and perhaps even stalked humans prior to these attacks. While wild cats are incredibly elusive, they may not fear what becomes familiar to them. To pick off a hiker in a group of seven is incredibly bold. Interestingly enough, if I have my facts correct, there has never been a documented bear attack (or was it a fatal bear attack?) on a group of four or more people.

Many will argue that driving to the trailhead poses a greater threat than bears or mountain lions, and I'm sure they're correct. I'm not that familiar with all the statistics. Nonetheless, wild animals do pose a risk (however small it might be), but it's a calculated risk that many of us take. That being said, it is a terribly tragic way to lose a loved one, and especially a young life at that. My sincere condolences go out to the family as well, and I hope the best for the mother's recovery.


John

mavs00 said:

...(as) A parent that regularly takes my kids into the woods, this is truly sobering ...

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Just remember that bees kill a LOT more people than bears do.

Pete_Hickey said:

Just remember that bees kill a LOT more people than bears do.

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Thats why I swat the snot out of every one I see

Working with wildlife biologists, I talked to them about this and they said that just like everything else, they are predators. Rarely will attack like it is prey. Unlike Grizzley bears, black bears will eat the human if they kill it. So if you are attacked by a black bear, do not play dead! They will consume you. Punch him in the face. Just think of all the bears that stare at us while we hike..hiding..in the shadows..-Mattl

Mattl said:

Unlike Grizzley bears, black bears will eat the human if they kill it. So if you are attacked by a black bear, do not play dead! They will consume you. Punch him in the face.

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Absolutely my understanding from what I have read and been told. Any attack by a Black bear is preditory in nature. Fight for your life. A grizzly attack may be a warning to you so fighting will make him keep attacking until he is satisfied you are no longer a threat and hell, it doesn't make any difference anyways with a griz. If he is going to eat you, your as good as dead unless you have suitable methods to protect yourself.

At least this is how I plan to act if attacked by these bears. YMMV.

Keith

Follow-up to the original story.

Pete_Hickey said:

Just remember that bees kill a LOT more people than bears do.

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Not to be contentious, but I feel more secure around bees. Most deaths due to stings (bees, wasps etc) are due to allergies. I've never had a bee sneak up on me stealthily and try to eat me.

I suspect actually that dogs are responsible for even more deaths than bears and bees together in this country.

What a terrible tragedy! My prayers are with
the family. I've seen black bears a couple of
times acoss the field from the mtn house and
they have never seemed to be interested in us.
I'll see them from a different perspective now.

Actually, dogs do kill a lot more people than bears do, but we also have many more encounters with them...

Here is an interesting website about bear statistics

Personally, I am far more worried about driving to the mountains than from being killed or injured from an animal attack (over 40,000 people are killed on U.S. roadways each year)

and the animal that kills the most people every year is the Deer. Mostly through car accidents though.