Posted on 08/31/2020 5:28:55 AM PDT by marktwain
Mostly peaceful black bear attack ...
List of fatal bear attacks in North America /with maps at end of the list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America
Stephen Herrero, a Canadian biologist, reports that during the 1990s, bears killed around three people a year in the U.S. and Canada, as compared to the 15 people killed every year by dogs.
These numbers are averages over the entire U.S. population, most of whom do not live in bear habitats; for those who do, the risk of a lethal bear attack is much higher.
"...McKie Lack, Saskatchewan, Canada..."
Now days they are able to survive because of their protected status.
Maybe not?
“In the 1900s, bear populations had been decreasing because of increased hunting of bears for sustenance (done mostly by native peoples such as the Inupiat of Alaska and the Inuvialuit of Canada) and for trophy prizes.”
“Stephen Herrero, a Canadian biologist, reports that during the 1990s, bears killed around three people a year in the U.S. and Canada, as compared to the 15 people killed every year by dogs.”
The number of attacks is very small compared to traffic fatalities, of 90 per day, and many other daily actives.
NB: Approximately half of continental US attacks are by captive bears, NOT WILD.
Please post your statistics.
Sadly, another Covid death.
My favorite bear story is not true, it’s just a story, but with a moral.
Here it is:
An atheist decided to take a nature walk in the mountainside.
He had always been a zealot for his atheism, proclaiming it, preaching it, arguing in favor of it and particularly arguing against Christians and Christianity.
He had been walking for some time when he saw a large bear, at some distance ahead of him. He stood frozen for a moment to see if the bear noticed him.
When he realized the bear did notice him, he decided he best walk back the way he came.
He started walking, slowly, and looked back over his shoulder to see if the bear was walking toward him. It was.
He walked a little faster, and noticed so was the bear, and it was still coming toward him.
He began to trot and the bear kept pace with him.
He decided to run, and so did the bear.
As he was running he tripped and fell down on the ground.
As he gained his composure he saw the bear was right there baring down on him.
He cried out: “Oh, God help me, Oh God please save me”.
Suddenly everything stopped, as if time itself had stopped.
Then he heard a voice, the voice of God, shouting at him:
“Now you seek my help, now you admit who I am, while all your life all you have done is deny me and encourage others to deny me, yet only now you want to pray to me.”
The man answered: “Forgive me God, I am humbly sorry, but here and now I see I need your help, or I will be taken by this bear.”
God answered: “So what is it you think I should do?
The man thought and thought a minute or two, trying to give an answer he felt God would appreciate. He said: “Well, maybe you could make the bear a Christian.”
God answered: “Are you sure that’s what you want me to do?”
The man answered: “Yes God, please make the bear a Christian”.
God answered: “Your shall have your wish”.
Then in a second time began to move again, and as the bear knelt down next to the man it said:
“Thank you God for this blessing, for this food, this nourishment for our body that we are about to receive”.
Because, very few people live in close proximity to bears.
People kill far more bears, than bears kill people.
That does not mean you do not recognize that bears are potentially dangerous.
they have good noses and when they smell humans they tend to leave the area, food can change that equation.
What bear populations are you talking about and over what area and what time period.
All that make’s a huge different’s when determining bear populations.
The other reasons people die has no relevance to bear attacks.
That argument is just a straw-man to avoid the reasons for bears attacking humans.
On really needs to compare areas where there are bears. Not to all areas where there might not be any bears over large areas.
Take AK far more people are killed by bears than lighting.
Take the whole country more people are killed by lighting then bears.
It is not a valid comparison unless one removes the areas where there are no bears.
So I stand by my previous statements.
“On really needs to compare areas where there are bears. Not to all areas where there might not be any bears over large areas.”
So pls address the selected areas and time frame that you have in mind?
Any details?
I did not think you had any in mind.
“That does not mean you do not recognize that bears are potentially dangerous.”
Very dangerous, nothing to fool with.
Having spent much time rock climbing in the backcountry, including one night our dog went nuts in the small tent.
I’m hearing impaired, but others could hear sniffing between the barking!
And thinking my .357 may not be up to the task?
Fresh bear scat near the tent in the morning...
That said, I have had far more concerns with some odd people I’ve met in the woods.
Once we stopped for gas west of Denver and the big news was a mountain lion attacked an adult jogger, he survived but was in serious condition.
It is true, in most areas.
But in some areas, like the back country of Yellowstone, bears have killed more people than people have!
It is very location specific.
In wilderness areas where there are few people, bears tend to be more of a threat.
The bear is just protecting his house.
Well the lower 48 grizzly population has increased to the point that can be de-listed.
The black bear population in all the states that have them is growing and they are expanding into other areas.
For example Wis. went from 5000 in the late 70’s to around 30,000 today most likely more.
More and more states are allowing hunting of them.
In BC both bears are increasing in number.
Pick any state you want with a black bear population and compare the population figures from today to 20 years ago.
Matter of fact pick any bear population and you will find increases except maybe for a few areas.
Oh my! I don’t think my Bear pals up here would agree with that!
“For example Wis. went from 5000 in the late 70’s to around 30,000 today most likely more.”
NO FATAL WISCONSON BEAR ATTACKS LISTED?
List of fatal bear attacks in North America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America
In fact, no fatal attack by a wild bear, wolf or cougar on a human in Wisconsin has been recorded in more than 100 years, according to the USDA.
“Most of these bear/human interactions are a result of dog/bear interaction and the human rushes in to save their dog,” said USDA’s Hirchert. “An actual predatory action towards a human from a bear is extremely rare in Wisconsin.”
So the bear population is increasing and attacks on humans are decreasing?
The real numbers are so thin, it is near impossible to produce valid statistics, beyond the actual event.
Correlation does not imply causation.
Another straw argument only talking about fatalities.
There is approximately 10 mauling’s for every fatal attack.
Mauling to cause life threatening injuries they do not always kill the victim.
So feel free to understand bears the way you want to.
I will feel free to understand them the way I do.
No the bear was attacking a human who has every right to be there as much as any bear.
There no bear that has live as long as I have in the same woods.
One week the bears are sharing peanut butter sandwiches at the human picnic.
The next week they are having humans for lunch.
...bi-polar bears...?
“There is approximately 10 mauling’s for every fatal attack.”
So if that is true, there have been LESS THAN TEN maulings in Wisconson with the THIRTY THOUSAND BEARS as you stated in #34. NB:No fatal bear attacks known in the last one hundred years for Wisconsin.
“On really needs to compare areas where there are bears.” as you noted in #29.
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