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Strange Black Bear Photos Show Animal Standing Like a Man in North Carolina

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BY ARISTOS GEORGIOU ON 4/16/21 AT 6:19 AM EDT01:06

https://www.newsweek.com/strange-black-bear-photo-man-north-carolina-1584124

Two college students came across a black bear standing in a strangely human-like pose on Sunday in North Carolina.

Erin McAllister and her boyfriend Zachary Allen—both of whom are studying at East Carolina University—were exploring Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Hyde County in the hope of seeing some bears when the encounter occurred.

The couple were driving down a road in the refuge when they spotted the bear standing in the unusual position.READ MORE

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While bears are known to stand on two legs, the couple said something seemed strange about its posture. Allen captured some eerie images of the bear, which McAllister then posted on Facebook.

“To be honest, when we both first saw it, we weren’t even sure it was real! It was standing so still and stoically,” McAllister told Newsweek.

“We had both never seen black bears in the wild before—but my boyfriend had seen some at the zoo in Grandfather Mountain, and could tell right away that the bear in that standing position seemed kind of unnatural and odd.”

The couple said they suspected the bear in question was relatively young, estimating that it stood at around five feet tall on its hind legs. According to McAllister, the animal stood “very still” as the couple slowly crept up towards it in their car on a dirt road.NEWSWEEK SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS >

“He seemed wholly unbothered by us, and aside from a slight glance our direction, continued on looking towards the opposing forest on the other side of the road,” McAllister said.https://www.facebook.com/v2.6/plugins/post.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df2de21a60a662c%26domain%3Dwww.newsweek.com%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.newsweek.com%252Ff7454e0346c65%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=500&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ferin.m.mcallister.9%2Fposts%2F3891235910996942&locale=en_GB&sdk=joey&show_text=false&width=500

“It was after a few minutes that I noticed a group of three similarly sized black bears run in front of our car, across from their side of the road, into the forest near the standing bear. Once this standing bear saw them—what we assume were friends, he quickly lowered himself back onto all fours, and ran off into the woods to meet them! We like to interpret this whole experience as the standing bear looking for his friends.”

McAllister said the bear stood in that position for close to 10 minutes, in total. She posted the strange images of the bear to a Facebook group called Carolina Critters, causing quite a reaction.

Several Facebook users commented that the animal looked like a man in a bear suit.

Meanwhile, one user, Brentley Norman, said: “Thought it was Bigfoot!”

Another user, Lisa Smoot Motley, said: “What great posture!! Some of the slouchy teenagers I’ve seen should take lessons!”

McAllister said the reaction to the pictures had been “overwhelming and exciting.”

“There are many people in this state who are passionate about wildlife, so it was no shock to me that they were as intrigued by the pictures as we were when we saw them in person.”

A black bear in North Carolina
A black bear standing in the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina.ZACHARY ALLEN/ERIN MCALLISTER

WATCH: Bear cub with head stuck in bucket rescued in northern Ontario

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Jenny YuenMore from Jenny Yuen

Published:July 20, 2020

Updated:July 20, 2020 3:19 PM EDT

WATCH: Bear cub with head stuck in bucket rescued in northern Ontario

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Advertisementhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/PzVouAPjIe0?rel=1&controls=1&autoplay=1&modestbranding=1&embed_config=%7B%22autonavRelatedVideos%22%3Atrue%2C%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%22EFneExC3GZeiVztRuRRe0w%22%2C%22OXbUmGfpr_rb_UeqROTwkg%22%2C%22Vu_SlTS4SNNUAIkCmSDzMQ%22%2C%22qNPpzfFRh29-ULwkF0ys0w%22%2C%22RROHNHB3JN8JxKST9xl_og%22%2C%22iiiXY1ue6nb7iqY8o8f62w%22%2C%22N9gPUr8QTM6RkHdKThDmQQ%22%2C%22Z1-u3qX7AUUPzH9O_Peb-Q%22%2C%22kjNuLzfw5Ep7EJuMdeFylw%22%2C%22YuLCUHAoN1fs3pZi3WPRnA%22%2C%22Vyik4cnxEmbefInU7JnWyw%22%2C%22rbOGpnOudmETQ0WZkyvD8g%22%2C%22jmGwjC7pytqz8vvL5lIuxA%22%2C%22HmA32WCmlUp9ZUF_clAPHg%22%2C%22zFyTrFm5aM-342rJsjBbXw%22%2C%22UCakXkuN4Z3Jnwf5aOay9ytw%22%5D%7D&enablejsapi=1&origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftorontosun.com&widgetid=1

Residents see a lot of bears in northern Ontario, but Trevor Buchmann said it’s not every day you see a black bear cub with a red bucket on its head.

Even rarer is when you see that cub climb a tree and get stuck there.

Buchmann, 46, lives in Kenogami — about 15 kilometres west of Kirkland Lake and not far from the county dump. He says people had seen black bear cubs with their mother there earlier this year, but on Sunday, he had a direct encounter with one of the cubs that found itself in a serious pickle.https://www.youtube.com/embed/4uXCBiSBvtQ?rel=1&controls=1&autoplay=0&modestbranding=1&embed_config=%7B%22autonavRelatedVideos%22%3Atrue%2C%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%22EFneExC3GZeiVztRuRRe0w%22%2C%22OXbUmGfpr_rb_UeqROTwkg%22%2C%22Vu_SlTS4SNNUAIkCmSDzMQ%22%2C%22qNPpzfFRh29-ULwkF0ys0w%22%2C%22RROHNHB3JN8JxKST9xl_og%22%2C%22iiiXY1ue6nb7iqY8o8f62w%22%2C%22N9gPUr8QTM6RkHdKThDmQQ%22%2C%22Z1-u3qX7AUUPzH9O_Peb-Q%22%2C%22kjNuLzfw5Ep7EJuMdeFylw%22%2C%22YuLCUHAoN1fs3pZi3WPRnA%22%2C%22Vyik4cnxEmbefInU7JnWyw%22%2C%22rbOGpnOudmETQ0WZkyvD8g%22%2C%22jmGwjC7pytqz8vvL5lIuxA%22%2C%22HmA32WCmlUp9ZUF_clAPHg%22%2C%22zFyTrFm5aM-342rJsjBbXw%22%2C%22UCakXkuN4Z3Jnwf5aOay9ytw%22%5D%7D&enablejsapi=1&origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftorontosun.com&widgetid=2

The bear had first been spotted July 15, about 5 km from his home with a pail on its head. Buchmann suspects the mother abandoned the cub after being unable to remove the pail.

“The cub likely picked it up at the dump,” he said Monday, “and worked his way through the bush. We think it may have been the container for protein powder.”

“We’d heard reports since then about this bear cub,” he said. “(Sunday), we were doing some work on our guest cottage and my daughter was sitting on the deck and she said, ‘What’s that on the tree?’ I thought it might be a fisher or marten or even a cat, and I looked over and saw the big red bucket on its head.https://www.youtube.com/embed/I9SEv5Nyzrc?rel=1&controls=1&autoplay=0&modestbranding=1&embed_config=%7B%22autonavRelatedVideos%22%3Atrue%2C%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%22EFneExC3GZeiVztRuRRe0w%22%2C%22OXbUmGfpr_rb_UeqROTwkg%22%2C%22Vu_SlTS4SNNUAIkCmSDzMQ%22%2C%22qNPpzfFRh29-ULwkF0ys0w%22%2C%22RROHNHB3JN8JxKST9xl_og%22%2C%22iiiXY1ue6nb7iqY8o8f62w%22%2C%22N9gPUr8QTM6RkHdKThDmQQ%22%2C%22Z1-u3qX7AUUPzH9O_Peb-Q%22%2C%22kjNuLzfw5Ep7EJuMdeFylw%22%2C%22YuLCUHAoN1fs3pZi3WPRnA%22%2C%22Vyik4cnxEmbefInU7JnWyw%22%2C%22rbOGpnOudmETQ0WZkyvD8g%22%2C%22jmGwjC7pytqz8vvL5lIuxA%22%2C%22HmA32WCmlUp9ZUF_clAPHg%22%2C%22zFyTrFm5aM-342rJsjBbXw%22%2C%22UCakXkuN4Z3Jnwf5aOay9ytw%22%5D%7D&enablejsapi=1&origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftorontosun.com&widgetid=3

“I ran to get into long-sleeve clothing and I tried to grab it and it went further up the tree. I went to the shop to get a pole I could use to loop around the bucket.”

A friend arrived after a call from Buchmann’s wife and he went up the tree trying to get the bear but the cub went up to the highest branch.”

Buchmann, his wife and daughter filmed the encounter and posted it to Facebook.

In the four-minute long video, Elder, wearing camouflage garb, is seen up the tree, holding a pole, which he eventually uses to gently knock the cub into Kenogami Lake. From there, Buchmann retrieves the animal from the water and the two men, using a blanket, remove the bucket from the bear’s head.

Buchmann said Elder’s aunt is a veterinarian who has conducted bear rescues in the past and gave the men step-by-step instructions over the phone.

The cub was safely put into a dog kennel and though it appeared shaken at first, eventually calms down when Buchmann feeds it some fruits.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry was called and the cub, which he’s nicknamed “Kenny,” was bound for the Bear With Us rescue centre outside Huntsville where it will stay over the fall and winter and be released next spring.

In another bear encounter video that surfaced over the weekend, three hikers remain very still while a black bear sniffs them out.https://www.instagram.com/p/CC1TUlmAdA3/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=12&wp=578&rd=https%3A%2F%2Ftorontosun.com&rp=%2Fnews%2Fprovincial%2Fwatch-bear-cub-with-head-stuck-in-bucket-rescued-in-northern-ontario#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A22421.445000043605%7D

Reported to have been taken at Chipinque Ecological Park in Mexico, the video shows the black bear up on its hind legs while one of the women can be seen stretching out her arm to take a photo with the wild animal.

The clip has had millions of views since being shared on social media.

jyuen@postmedia.com3 CommentsShare your thoughts

A bear attacks a woman. She fights it off — with her laptop

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By Cheri Mossburg, CNN

Updated 3:22 PM ET, Thu June 18, 2020

(CNN)A Southern California teen had a rude awakening when an outdoor nap turned into a bear attack.

She survived by fighting the bear off with her only weapon — a laptop.
The 19-year old Sierra Madre woman fell asleep in backyard chair Monday evening, Fish and Wildlife Capt. Patrick Foy told CNN.
“She awoke to the sound of a bear approaching her,” Foy said. “It immediately attacked.”
The bear scratched the young woman’s arms and legs, but then it began to bite her leg. Her wounds were not life-threatening.[*And yet the bear life will be ended…]
“The only weapon she had was her laptop. She hit the bear with it and stunned it long enough to escape inside the house,” Foy said.
“She fought back vigorously, which is what you should do with any wildlife in California.”
Local police responded to the incident, followed soon by wildlife officers. Bear tracks nearby and a glimpse of a bear around midnight provided evidence corroborating her story.
“This was an unprovoked, aggressive attack,” Foy said. The woman did not have any food, and did not get between a bear and her cubs.
“It’s likely she was looked at as prey,” Foy speculated.
This is not the first time a sleeping person has been attacked in the area. Last year, a homeless man was attacked by a bear that was never caught.
DNA swabs were taken from the teenager’s wounds and analyzed by a forensics lab. Foy says that analysis provided wildlife officers with a full DNA profile by the next day.
Tuesday night, wildlife officials caught two bears in the immediate vicinity. Their DNA was analyzed, but neither matched the profile of the offending bear.
Both bears will be released in what Foy calls the ‘nearest suitable habitat.’
In this case, they’ll be taken into the Angeles National Forest – typically 25 miles or so away from where they were captured.
[*] The bear that attacked the woman has not yet been found. If or when it is, that bear will be euthanized. 
California is home to only black bears, even though some are brown. There are no wild grizzlies in the state.

Grizzlies, black and polar bears found together for 1st time

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BY DAVID GILES GLOBAL NEWS
Posted November 21, 2018 11:45 am
Polar bears, black bears, and grizzlies have been found together for the first time during a University of Saskatchewan research project in northern Manitoba.
 Polar bears, black bears, and grizzlies have been found together for the first time during a University of Saskatchewan research project in northern Manitoba. University of Saskatchewan / Supplied
University of Saskatchewan researchers said they made an unprecedented finding – all three species of North American bears in the same subarctic region.

The researchers documented polar bears, black bears, and grizzlies in Wapusk National Park on the west coast of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Man.
  • Arctic wildlife at risk of dozens of new industrial chemicals: report
  • Ancient polar bears survived low ice periods on dead whales: study

READ MORE: Draft plan says Nunavut has too many polar bears and climate change isn’t affecting them

“These sightings are consistent with expected ecological responses to the amplified effects of climate change on high-latitude ecosystems,” said Douglas Clark, a conservation scientist at the U of S School of Environment and Sustainability.

“Our observations add to growing evidence that grizzlies are substantially increasing their range in northern Canada.”

Researchers said they observed the bears between 2011 and 2017 using motion-activated cameras.

WATCH BELOW: Grizzly bears at Saskatoon zoo to begin 3rd hibernation

5 fun facts about grizzly bear hibernation at Saskatoon zoo

5 fun facts about grizzly bear hibernation at Saskatoon zoo

What was new in the observations, said Clark, were the grizzlies.

“It’s likely that they will benefit the most because they have been known to dominate the other two species elsewhere, for instance eating both black bears and polar bears, or displacing them,” he said.

However, Clark said, large black bears could have the upper hand when encountering a young grizzly, while smaller species of bears will modify their behaviour to avoid grizzlies.

Clark said the big question is how the interactions will affect bear conservation and management efforts.

He said the overlap could be due to climate change as bears seek out new or expanded habitats for food sources.

“This range overlap shouldn’t be viewed as a threat to any of these bears, but should be understood as an ecological response to environmental change.”

He added Wapusk is at the convergence of the boreal forest, tundra, and ocean ecosystems that are all changing quickly with climate change.

Five bears killed after coming too close to elementary school in Penticton, B.C.

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Animals drew dozens of complaints since the summer, says conservation officer

CBC News · 

These five bears travelled together in a pack in the Okanagan city of Penticton, B.C., before being put down by conservation officers on Thursday. (Submitted by Tobe Sprado/Conservation Officer Service)
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Five bears were destroyed by conservation officers in Penticton, B.C., Thursday after the group ventured too close to an elementary school.

Tobe Sprado, an inspector for the Okanagan region with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, says the service has received 44 complaints about these particular bears since August.

“We were hoping that we’re going to be able to coexist with these bears,” Sprado said. “But things had escalated over that period of time.”

Sprado said the bears were attracted to garbage and fruit, and were starting to cause property damage.

On Wednesday afternoon, things escalated after one of the bears charged a person out walking.

“That [was] an aggressive behaviour that definitely put these bears more on our radar,” Sprado said.

“Then when they entered into the vicinity of the elementary school, we ended up making the decision to put down all five bears.”

The children and teachers were kept inside until the bears were shot dead.

Bears can cause problems in towns and cities as they look for food to eat before winter hibernation. (Submitted by Rachel Rowbottom)

Unusual grouping

Sprado said the bears would travel together in a pack, unusual for black bears. The group comprised three adult male bears and two females who were sub-adults.

“It wasn’t your typical sow with the cubs at all … [it’s] a bit of an anomaly from what we’re used to dealing with,” he said. “They could be a bunch of siblings.”

Sprado said his team was emotionally drained and frustrated by the turn of events.

It comes a little over a week after six bears were shot in the space of three days in the area of Lake Okanagan Resort northwest of Kelowna. In that case, the bears were eating garbage that hadn’t properly been secured and had lost their fear of humans.

An undisclosed company near Kelowna was fined $230 and ordered to improve the way it stores its garbage.

Sprado implored people to safely secure bear attractants like garbage, fruit, as well as pet food, bird feeders, barbecues and compost.

Woman sentenced to jail for freeing crying bear cub from trap in New Jersey

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A judge sentenced a woman to 15 days in jail for freeing a crying cub from a bear trap.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bear-trap-cub-jail-new-jersey-a8802206.html

Municipal Court Judge James Devine sentenced Catherine McCartney, 50, on Thursday, NJ.com reported. McCartney, who has a record of arrests related to bear hunt protests, pleaded guilty to obstructing “the administration of law and the prevention of the lawful taking of wildlife”.

McCartney, a dedicated animal rights activist, plans to appeal the sentence, relating to the incident in in Vernon, New Jersey.

In a statement she read in court, McCartney said she did not regret her decision in rescuing the bear cub from the painful trap.

“These animals are innocent and so I made the moral decision to let the bear go so he could run back to his mother, and it was the right thing to do,” she said.

The incident in question took place in October in a condominium complex. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said it installed two culvert traps inside the complex campus to capture a bear—known as “Momma Bear” by activists—following two incidents with residents. None of these incidents resulted in injury.

Mark Nagelhout, who helped McCartney free the cub, also plead guilty to the same charges. However, he did not receive a jail sentence since this was his first offence.

Both defendants were also fined $1,316.
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Timber Corporations Can Keep Killing Bears, Judge Rules

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https://www.courthousenews.com/timber-corporations-can-keep-killing-bears-judge-rules/

OLYMPIA, Wash. (CN) – Washington state’s rules allowing corporate timberlands to use traps, bait and dogs to kill bears are legal, a judge ruled Friday, even though voters banned those exact methods decades ago.

In the early spring, black bears emerge from hibernation, ravenous. Most of the plants they eat are still in their own winter sleep. At that time of year, the sap of young trees is one of the most nutritious foods available. They strip the bark and feast.

But those meals cause millions in damage, according to Washington’s commercial tree farmers. So the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lets landowners hire hunters to kill bears on their property. And the permits the department issues specifically allow hunters to use methods voters banned 20 years ago based on their cruelty.

The Center for Biological Diversity sued the department over that apparent discrepancy in May 2018, claiming the policy had killed an estimated 2,000 bears and orphaned numerous bear cubs.

Attorney Claire Loebs Davis argued on behalf of the center at a hearing on Friday.

“This case is not about a dispute over wildlife policy,” Loebs Davis said. “It’s about whether state agencies must stay within the law. You may think the indiscriminate killing of bears is cruel. But we are not attempting to legislate through litigation. Here, legislating was done by the voters, the chief sovereigns of the state. The agency believes voters made a mistake and that it can elevate its judgment above theirs. They are allowing trapping, baiting and hunting by private owners just as if the voters had never spoken at all.”

Loebs Davis also said the department ignored its own science and the opinions of the experts it employs and didn’t even consider whether future tree damage would actually be prevented by killing bears randomly caught in traps – arguments the department’s attorney appeared to concede at Friday’s hearing.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Carol Murphy questioned Assistant Attorney General Amy Dona about Loebs Davis’ claim.

“Is there some documentation in the record that shows we considered this, we waived these things, this is a higher priority than this other thing?” Judge Murphy asked.

“Insofar as counsel is saying the agency did not consider the impact of the removal of a certain number of bears, the agency did not think about that,” Dona said. “They were thinking about issuing permits.”

“What about the effectiveness of this rule?” Murphy asked.

“That was not the central consideration,” Dona said. “They were not engaging in substantive review of the program at that stage, they were thinking, ‘what will we need to have in place for people to get permits?’ They said we know there will be issues but we are going to brainstorm and think about those further down the road.”

Loebs Davis said leaving out such critical information rendered the rule “arbitrary and capricious” – basically, that it was made on the basis of a random whim.

“The law does not say that the rule can be arbitrary and capricious as long as you do the real work later,” Loebs Davis said. “It doesn’t say you can ignore the science and review it at a later time and it does not provide an exception when an agency says it would just be too difficult for us to go through the normal rule making process.”

But Judge Murphy ruled that the policy can continue.

“After reviewing the entire record, there may be additional input that would have been helpful, including data and opinions, but that is not the test in this court,” Murphy said in her ruling from the bench. “The court does not determine the best policy or reweigh the interests. The court considered whether the rules complied with and did not go beyond the agency’s statutory authority. They did not.”

Pair of surviving Banff bathroom bears adapting to new wilderness home

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SHAWN LOGAN
Updated: August 6, 2019
Three black bear cubs found in a Vermilion Lakes washroom in April 2017 have been returned to Banff National Park. Photo by Parks Canada

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From the bathroom to the backcountry, two orphaned black bear cubs rescued from a public restroom two years ago seem to have successfully re-established themselves in Banff National Park, officials say.

The two sisters were among a trio of three-month-old bear cubs mysteriously abandoned in a public restroom at the Vermilion Lakes rest stop in April 2017, and were sent to the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario in hopes they could successfully be reintroduced into the wild.

Last July, the yearling cubs were returned to the Banff wilds, though within weeks one was killed and eaten by a suspected grizzly bear.

The remaining two, however, managed to avoid a similar fate and hunkered down in dens to hibernate over the winter months.

Blair Fyten, human wildlife coexistence officer with Parks Canada, said there had been some initial concern in the spring that the now two-year-old adolescents had met with an untimely end.

“When they came out of their dens in the spring, one of the collars went into mortality mode,” he said, noting the tracking collars begin emitting the specialized signal when they are stationary for more than six hours.

“A couple of weeks later, mortality mode went on on the second one.”

Orphaned bear cubs pictured at the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario. ASPEN VALLEY WILDLIFE SANCTUARY FACEBOOK

While it took some time to get wildlife officers into the remote area, when they arrived they discovered the bears had managed to shrug off the collars and venture off, free from overt human monitoring.

The collars had initially been set to fall off on their own at the end of summer, but given the bruins were somewhat heavier than their wild counterparts due to their time in the sanctuary, it’s likely they slipped easily out of the tracking gear after losing weight while hibernating, Fyten said.

“We found the collars, but there were no signs of carcasses or predation,” he said.

“The good news is we think these bears are roaming around out there doing what bears do.”

The presumably surviving cubs remain tagged and officials hope they will eventually trip one of the many wildlife cameras that dot the national park to confirm the bears are indeed healthy and thriving.

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Fyten said despite the positive signs, the duo still face an uphill battle, as do all young bears who strike out from their mothers for the first time.

“It is an age where they are out on their own but they are still somewhat vulnerable at two years old,” he said.

“When you look in a natural setting, a female with three cubs, it’s pretty rare all will survive.”

Fyten said roughly 65 black bears are active in the lush valley bottoms in Banff National Park, where they spend much of their days foraging for berries, which have seen a bumper crop this year.

The optimal conditions for bear feeding has also resulted in a bump in black bear sightings by humans this year, he said.

“It’s been super busy with all kinds of bear activity,” he said, noting grizzly bears, which tend to dwell higher in the park’s mountain rangers, have been quieter than usual.

“Last year we had a very good berry crop, so we’ve seen a lot of cubs getting kicked out by their mothers and trying to find their way.”

slogan@postmedia.com

2 bears euthanized in Yellowstone National Park, search for third underway

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https://kbzk.com/news/outdoors/2019/07/25/2-bears-euthanized-in-yellowstone-national-park-search-for-third-underway/?fbclid=IwAR1aljQfu7L9AynsUCqjhirNGoQnZvyqpWk7alPstofzGEgrbuTwVw8r0Lc

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Two black bears have been killed in Yellowstone National Park this year and officials are looking for third habituated black bear – all three bears reportedly showed no fear around people after acquiring human food and becoming food-conditioned.

According to park officials, last month, a  black bear bit into an occupied tent and bruised a woman’s thigh (the bite did not break the skin due to the tent fabric and thick sleeping bag)

That incident occurred at a backcountry campsite along Little Cottonwood Creek

Black bear sniffing dumpster near Ice Box Canyon; Jim Peaco; June 14, 2015; Catalog #20152d; Original #IMG_3675

Rangers suspect that this might have been a bear that gained access to human food in this same area in previous years. Over subsequent days, rangers set up cameras and a decoy tent at the campsite to determine if the bear would continue this behavior. With rangers present, the bear returned and aggressively tore up the decoy tent. The bear was killed on-site on June 11.

In early July, at a backcountry campsite along the Lamar River Trail, campers left food unattended while packing up gear allowing a black bear to eat approximately 10 pounds of human food. Campers who visited the same campsite the following evening had numerous encounters with the same bear. Their attempts to haze the bear away failed. Rangers relocated multiple campers from the area and the bear was killed on July 10. The incident is still under investigation.

Since July 18, at the front country Indian Creek Campground, a black bear has caused property damage to tents and vehicles in its search for human food. Park staff actively hazed the bear from the campground, but also set up cameras. If the bear returns, managers will take appropriate actions based on the current circumstances, including additional hazing or removal.

Park staff have had a busy summer responding to bears in campgrounds, backcountry campsites, and along roadsides. Visitors are reminded to stay at least 100 yards away from bears at all times and to store food and scented items properly.

Once a bear acquires human food, it loses its fear of people and may become dangerous. This process is called “habituation.” The park has killed two habituated black bears this year and is trying to capture a third. All three bears exhibited bold behaviors, showed no fear around people, and have demonstrated food-conditioned behavior.

Park officials say these incidents serve as unfortunate reminders that human carelessness doesn’t just endanger people; it can also result in a bear’s death. Allowing bears to obtain human food even once often leads to them becoming aggressive toward people. Learn more about what you can do at go.nps.gov/yellbearsafety [go.nps.gov].

According to officials, Yellowstone National Park does not typically relocate bears for three reasons: 1) there are no areas in the park to move the bear where it wouldn’t have the continued opportunity to potentially injure someone and damage property, 2) surrounding states do not want food-conditioned bears relocated into their jurisdictions, and 3) adult bears have large home ranges, good memories, and could easily return to the original area.

It is common for visitors to observe black bears in Yellowstone. About 50 percent are black in color, others are brown, blond, or cinnamon. Learn more about black bears [nps.gov].

Bear attacks worker during wildlife tour at Pennsylvania resort

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The resort said that it has “ensured the enclosure is completely secure” and is arranging counseling for guests and staff who witnessed the attack.
By Janelle Griffith

A worker at a western Pennsylvania resort was injured Saturday morning in a bear attack while guiding a routine safari tour of wildlife kept at the property, officials said.

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, said the Himalayan bear reached through a wire fence, pulled the employee closer and bit her arm.

The worker was in between two layers of fencing at the bear enclosure when the incident occurred.

The bear was engaged by other resort employees and released her arm, then the employee was stabilized by a nurse and flown to a trauma center. The victim was described Saturday as “stable and alert.”

The worker’s identity has not been disclosed at the request of her parents, according to Kory Young, the resort’s director of lodging. The victim has worked at the resort for a month, Young told NBC News on Sunday.

“The bear was not harmed in any way,” Young said.

 

The resort said in a statement that it has “ensured the enclosure is completely secure” and is arranging optional counseling for guests and staff who witnessed the attack, which is under investigation.

“We deeply regret this incident,” resort president Maggie Hardy Knox said in a statement Saturday. “Our thoughts are with our injured associate, our staff and guests as we focus on ensuring they receive the finest medical attention and counseling.”

The Wildlife Academy at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort was established in 2006, according to its website. The Wildlife Habitats on the property feature red sheep, bears, bison, tigers, lions and wolves, among other animals. The bear involved in the attack has been at the resort for nine years.