Posted on 04/14/2006 4:28:47 AM PDT by Liberty Valance
BENTON, Tenn. - A bear attacked a family at a camp site in the Cherokee National Forest on Thursday, killing a 6-year-old girl and injuring her 2-year-old brother and mother, authorities said.
The attack took place near a pool of water on Chilhowee Mountain, said Dan Hicks, spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Witnesses described the bear picking up the boy in its mouth while the mother and other visitors tried to fend it off with sticks and rocks, Hicks said. The mother was injured before the bear was chased away.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Honestly, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. When I've been in the park, I've seen idiots chasing a cub for a better picture. News flash, if there's a cub, Mama Bear will be somewhere nearby & she ain't gonna be happy. She can run faster than you, and she can climb trees, too. Visitors come into bear territory acting as if they're in a friggin' Disney movie. These ARE NOT tame, trained bears!
That happened just a few miles from me. We've been listening to it on the scanner. I've spent many hours in that forest. Most black bears here are timid. Somebody shot this one but it ran off so they are tracking it. Bear attacks here are extremely rare but we have a lot of bears. They don't hibernate here and are fairly active most of the year. We have one that hangs out on our farm and I've seen it a few times from horseback. It's peaceful and hasn't been aggressive.
I can't imagine trying to save one child and end up having the other one killed.
They haven't mentioned cubs on the scanner yet but odds are she did have some. Most aren't aggressive unless they have cubs, like you said. I think they said on the scanner that the victims were from Ohio but I'm not sure.
I ride mountain bikes in the People's Republic of New Jersey and we have plenty of bears here. I have been within 20 feet of a bear -- shocked the hell out of both of us. The bears usually run away about 200 feet and turn to look to see what you are going to do. The answer is -- back away slowly and make noise.
It is kind of scary to be that close to something that could easily kill you with just one swat. They are both magnificent and clumsy creatures. I feel terrible for these people.
I agree. This would be a nightmare for me to relive everyday for quite some time. Based on the article, the boy is in critical condition. I pray he hangs on.
Poor little kid. May she rest in peace.
Guns are legal in the NF to bad more people don't carry. But a lot of people have brought into the idea that guns are bad and bears are nice.
I am sure the mother wished now she would have been armed and knew how to shoot.
Any gun is better then your fists.
"Any gun is better then your fists."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>...........
Our forefathers would never understand what restrictions the Government has placed on our "FREE" citizens even to being able to protect themselves from criminals and wild predators such as the north American black - brown bear and mountain lions which recently killed those bike riders in California.
I've been thinking about this too (because our family members all have CC). The difficulty would be trying to get a clean shot (or several) to the bear without risk of hitting the child. I would imagine that this situation happened too fast and somewhat frenzied. It may have been a tough call for even a well armed, skilled marksman.
Guns are legal in National Forests? Good to know.
Amzaing that people sit themselves down in the middle of wild animals' feeding grounds and expect nothing to happen.
Sticks & rocks. All because it's illegal to carry a firearm in a national park. Not that it would have saved this poor little girl, but it would of,at least, afforded her a chance.
Black bears will usually shy away from humans unless you block their path to their cubs or their food source. I've been hiking when a black bear came out of the forest and started walking right toward me on the path. It was obvious it didn't see me, their eyesight isn't the best. I stepped off the path and onto a sawed off tree trunk and raised my arms to make myself look bigger.
The bear kept coming and got about 25 yards away, then lifted its nose and starting sniffing. As soon as it got a whiff of me, it turned and darted back into the woods as fast as it could go.
It was neat to see a bear that close and they seem harmless while they're just ambling along, but they are not. Always be careful and know the drill when in bear country. Whatever you do, don't take off and run unless you are very, very close to shelter. They will give chase. Maybe that's what the kids did.
"CC and don't leave home without it"
Per 36CFR2.4, you must have the firearm unloaded, cased and inaccessible while on NPS property.
A lot of good it would have done in this case.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.