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Midlothian woman survives bear attack at Douthat State Park
Roanoke.com ^ | August 10, 2015 | Laura Kebede

Posted on 08/10/2015 9:39:19 AM PDT by Perseverando

A Midlothian woman survived a bear attack Saturday at Douthat State Park in Bath County that left her with 14 stitches in her back and 14 in her leg.

An adult female black bear believed to be the attacker was tracked and killed early Sunday. The bear attack prompted the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to close several miles of trails on the west side of state Route 629, which was scheduled to be reopened today.

Laurie Cooksey was hiking Saturday with three of her four children after a day of canoeing and camping the night before. When they reached the Tuscarora Overlook and took a selfie, rain clouds were quickly forming, she said. So about 6 p.m., the foursome headed down the steep, windy trail — with Cooksey and her 19-year-old son Ellis walking ahead of her daughter Hannah Cate, 16, and son Blake, 22.

Within five minutes, Ellis spotted the black bear peering at them from behind a tree about 10 yards away, Laurie Cooksey said. Almost immediately, the bear charged.

They retreated in the opposite direction, but the bear caught up and headed them off.

“He was fast. He was just so fast,” she said.

The bear clawed Cooksey’s back and knocked her to the ground off the trail.

“The saving grace was it was raining hard and the leaves were slippery,” she said.

They both slid in the leaves and she found herself slightly uphill from the bear when it bit her twice on the leg.

Cooksey kicked just enough for the bear to lose its balance on the incline and slide far enough away for Cooksey to make a run for it, she said.

When they caught up with the other two who were unaware of the incident, the bear reappeared.

(Excerpt) Read more at roanoke.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: bear; blackbear; douthat; hiking; virginia
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To: Tax-chick

No reason you should have.

I just happened to click on the link because I saw “Midlothian” and assumed it was the Texas one. Who knew there were so many others?


21 posted on 08/10/2015 10:11:00 AM PDT by SuzyQue
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To: BwanaNdege
"the Queen's English"

Ewwwwwwwww! I never liked Queen or their music.


22 posted on 08/10/2015 10:12:57 AM PDT by Perseverando (For Progressives, Islamonazis & Totalitarians: It's all about PEOPLE CONTROL!)
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To: BwanaNdege

23 posted on 08/10/2015 10:14:22 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Perseverando
Booboo kills Yogi
24 posted on 08/10/2015 10:18:15 AM PDT by Bratch
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To: Bratch

That was so bad. You are sick. LOL!


25 posted on 08/10/2015 10:22:13 AM PDT by Perseverando (For Progressives, Islamonazis & Totalitarians: It's all about PEOPLE CONTROL!)
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To: Perseverando

This bear probably had become habituated to humans and come to associate them with easy food. Truly wild bears avoid people. It’s a shame when bears have to be killed because some previous hiker/camper has practiced poor hygeine. A fed bear is a dead bear.


26 posted on 08/10/2015 10:27:39 AM PDT by Romulus
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To: Bratch
"...tracked the bear to a location near the site of the incident and humanely killed the bear around 4 a.m. Sunday."

If the family had been better prepared they could have cut out the "middlemen."

And in keeping with the advice on how to defend against bears, it looks like this would be the best way to:

“Get big! Get loud!”


27 posted on 08/10/2015 10:30:11 AM PDT by Perseverando (For Progressives, Islamonazis & Totalitarians: It's all about PEOPLE CONTROL!)
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To: Perseverando
Here's the flash
28 posted on 08/10/2015 10:50:23 AM PDT by from occupied ga (Your government is your most dangerous enemy)
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To: Perseverando
THEY KILLED A BEAR!!?!?!?!!?

DID THE BEAR HAVE A NAME!?!?!?!

OMG!!!!!

29 posted on 08/10/2015 10:51:51 AM PDT by Osage Orange (What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.)
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To: Perseverando
I "humanely" killed a tick the other day....

Stepped on it..then squished it.

30 posted on 08/10/2015 10:53:38 AM PDT by Osage Orange (What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.)
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To: SuzyQue
And, a city close to Dallas/Fort Worth.

And apparently a town in Virginia as well.

31 posted on 08/10/2015 10:55:47 AM PDT by al_c (Obama's standing in the world has fallen so much that Kenya now claims he was born in America.)
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To: Osage Orange
DID THE BEAR HAVE A NAME!?!?!?!

Absolutely. "Cecile" Like lions and tigers, bears generally introduce themselves as follows "Hi. I'm Cecile (or whatever) and I'm going to kill you and eat you (but not necessarily in that order) if you're the slowest one in your group."

32 posted on 08/10/2015 11:02:39 AM PDT by from occupied ga (Your government is your most dangerous enemy)
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To: DJ Taylor
IMHO, there’s now an orphaned bear cub somewhere on that mountain searching in vain for its mother.

Maybe this will give him hope and help him to survive until he can be united with another mother black bear who might adopt him into her family where he can have a new family with little brothers and sisters and learn not to try and eat the tourists.

33 posted on 08/10/2015 11:12:18 AM PDT by Perseverando (For Progressives, Islamonazis & Totalitarians: It's all about PEOPLE CONTROL!)
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To: driftless2

Bahama Islands, too. I once mistook NASA’S robo-voice for a Bahamian.


34 posted on 08/10/2015 2:31:51 PM PDT by Does so (SCOTUS Newbies Will Imperil America...)
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