Posted on 04/16/2006 1:45:18 PM PDT by george76
A black bear was caught in a forest recreation area Sunday and was being sent to a veterinary school to determine if it was the same animal that attacked a family, killing a 6-year-old girl.
Authorities found a bear in the same trap where they detected paw prints on Saturday in the remote Cherokee National Forest Chilhowee Recreation Area...
The bear, which was captured near the site of the attack, looked to be the same weight as the 350- to 400-pound bear that attacked a mother and her two children on a trail in the recreation area on Thursday...
The bear bit the girl's 2-year-old brother, Luke Cenkus, on his head and punctured his skull, officials said.
Their mother, Susan Cenkus, 45, tried to fend off the bear with rocks and sticks but the bear attacked her, dragging her yards off the trail.
Her 6-year-old daughter apparently ran away and almost an hour passed before a rescuer found her body about 100 yards off the trail with the bear.
The man said he shot twice at the bear with a pistol before it ran away.
Luke Cenkus was in fair condition and their mother remained in critical condition...
(Excerpt) Read more at wjla.com ...
Predatory Black Bear Attack
She was a 5-foot-3, 105-pound hiker, out for a Sunday walk.
He was a 400-pound hulking young bruin officials described as "predatory," looking for a meal.
She said he came up behind her on a trail in Wawayanda State Park in Sussex County, chased her down and tackled her.
She said she did the only thing she could. She threw a hard elbow at his snout, and caught him flush, stunning the bear and giving her time to escape.
"This bear was in predatory mode," said Jack Kaskey, a state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman.
"This was classic predatory behavior. The bear was out to eat her. She had to fight for her life."
http://www.maineguides.org/referendum/bear_attacks13.shtml
Bear Mauls and Kills Infant in New York State
A bear killed an infant Monday afternoon as it tried to drag the girl into the woods, officials said.
The baby, Ester Schwimmer of Brooklyn, was snatched out of her stroller by the bear at the bungalow colony, police said.
Fallsburg is about 70 miles northwest of New York City.
Isaac Abraham, a community leader from Williamsburg in Brooklyn, said witnesses told him the 5-month-old girl was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital upon arrival.
The baby was in a stroller in front of the porch with members of her family, said Mike Fraser, a state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman.
The bear grabbed the stroller and the child, Fraser said. The child was knocked out of the stroller and the bear tried to drag her into the woods, Fraser said.
http://www.maineguides.org/referendum/bear_attacks01.shtml
"The bear was killed."
Ah, so no trial then.
Guess I was wrong. The only black bears I've come across in the wild were in resort areas around people where they appeared fairly docile. I had no idea they were this prone to attacking people.
Stephen Colbert was involved, somehow, someway.
Bear Attack Leaves Two Campers Injured
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - Two men were mauled by a black bear while they were camping near Fern Lake, and one said Monday "it was extreme pain and a whole lot of blood,"...
"I just woke up, and it was a blur in my head, then the blood was going everywhere," said Boulder resident Patrick Finan, 22, of the attack early Sunday.
"The bear was standing outside my tent, staring in."
http://www.maineguides.org/referendum/bear_attacks04.shtml
From what I've read she was right there with her kids and moved in to save her baby, the bear took her on and the little girl ran away only to be caught by the bear. Surely you weren't talking about the in between time when mom was on the ground in critical condition?
***The man said he shot twice at the bear with a pistol before it ran away. ***
Isn't it against the law to have firearms in a National Recreational Area? Sounds like warrents need to be issued! Sarc/off.
I ALWAYS have firepower near any time I am out in the woods at National forest/park/campground/ect. I know I am in violation but I prefer to be safe, not sorry.
Black bears kill thousands of head of livestock in Alberta - they're like rats up there.
Moved in with what? A freaking set of car keys? Did she train her kids to panic and run away? How were they approcahed by a bear without them knowing it until it was on them? Was she prepared for the possibilities of danger where she was at while she was responsible for children? Did she do everything she should have to PREVENT a bear encounter? Just because she is now a victim, does not mean she did no wrong. Every year my family camps in SW Alaska, and prevention is covered several times before anything else. Plus, do you think a nice little firearm might have saved her family any troubles? I am calling her a stupid cityslicker bystander of nature.
I believe they were at a waterfall, probably a tourist site in the park. You can try to teach your child how to react to every danger imaginable but in the end we all react in fear, I would have a hard time not running from an attacking bear, can't imagine if I was 5 yrs old.
I think it makes you feel safer to think you can avoid all danger anywhere you are, some day you may be enlightened.
because there are so many more black bear than Griz/AKbrown/Kodiak, there are more black bear attacts on humans than the collective browns. But of course per capita of the 2 species, browns are more agressive toward humans than black.
I bet they wouldn't have killed it if it were a Polar bear.
It's racism, I tell 'ya.
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