Infant killed by bear in NY state

Mike Fraser, a state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman, said the baby was in a stroller in front of the porch with members of her family. The bear grabbed the stroller and the child, Fraser said.

As horrific as this is, it seems a little odd too. It sounds as if the whole bunch just watched the bear approach, methinks even egged it on by feeding it. But, I could be wrong. There is no way though I would have sat placidly by as a wild animal walked up to my infant. I also would not have been sitting on the porch unarmed in an area where bears are everyday neighbors.

21 posted on 08/19/2002 3:26:32 PM PDT by pa_dweller

There is another rule often quoted by Col. Jeff Cooper - "Never go unarmed in bear country."

22 posted on 08/19/2002 3:29:08 PM PDT by pa_dweller

To: Conservobabe

More people should carry bear repellent.

Just enough for a little blackie. Better pack something more substantial for a grizzlie.

23 posted on 08/19/2002 3:30:54 PM PDT by Bon mots

That looks a little small for any kind of bear. I've seen guides in Griz country carrying 44 magnums but I'm skeptical even of that. IMO unless you're willing to lug a 12 gauge loaded with slugs, better to leave the extra weight at home. You'll probably just annoy the critter unless you get extremely lucky....

24 posted on 08/19/2002 3:36:26 PM PDT by kms61

Well, I would rather have a sidearm of any type if encountered by an agressive bear...than a rock, which is all this family of the baby had at their disposal.

25 posted on 08/19/2002 3:55:46 PM PDT by Conservababe

To: Conservobabe

it's a judgement call, but a wounded bear is one of the most dangerous creatures there is. Unless you know you can kill it with one or two shots (and most people just aren't that good a shot) you may make matters worse. Not saying don't go armed, but situational awareness is your best defense, as others have said on this thread. It's hard for me to comprehend this animal coming into an inhabited area and none of these people noticed until it was too late. I won't second guess with the limited information available, but I'd sure like to find out more about what happened here.

I've spent much time in bear country, a lot of it alone with just what I could carry on my back. I made the decision that the extra weight of a firearm wasn't worth it for the marginal increase in safety, when I could more than likely avoid any confrontation by being aware of my surroundings and taking the necessary precautions. Others won't go anywhere in bear country unarmed. It's a personal decision, but I've never felt at risk.

26 posted on 08/19/2002 4:05:54 PM PDT by kms61

A good example of why civilians do need full automatic weapons...

29 posted on 08/19/2002 4:19:02 PM PDT by Isle of sanity in CA

To: Conservobabe

We have been trying to get help from this situation for years. Have written to the state rep and state senators telling them this kind of thing can happen here. We have a very high bear density per square mile. We live in the Poconos, also about 70 miles from NYC. The drought is starving the bears. They only care about calories vs risk. We are nothing but calories to them. They need to consume 20,000 calories a day coming out of hibernation and going into it.

We have had bears try to get into our home while we were in it several times. We have had a bear come in our barn and kill a valuable milk goat. We have had bears come into our fields and kill our sheep. People all around us feed the bears. I mean hand feed, like handing them a sandwich, as well as just putting the food out on the ground to watch them.

31 posted on 08/19/2002 4:19:59 PM PDT by finnsheep

I hope this wakes up your pols.

When animals become domestic threats, it is time to start killing them.

32 posted on 08/19/2002 4:26:59 PM PDT by Conservababe

even so - thats extremely odd behavior from a black bear - generally shy

33 posted on 08/19/2002 4:33:26 PM PDT by Revelation 911

To: Alberta's Child

For some reason, the smaller black bear is more likely than a grizzly to attack a human being for no reason whatsoever.

sources please

34 posted on 08/19/2002 4:34:17 PM PDT by Revelation 911

To: Conservobabe

It is also time to start holding people responsible for the idiocy that encourages wild animals to act this way....feeding them, expecting them to act like domestic pets, etc.

35 posted on 08/19/2002 4:34:28 PM PDT by kms61

To: Conservobabe

When animals become domestic threats, it is time to start killing them.

There is presently a hunting season on NY black bears

36 posted on 08/19/2002 4:37:22 PM PDT by Revelation 911

To: Conservobabe

I hope more to follow...

Clearly you mean more information and not children.

37 posted on 08/19/2002 4:38:23 PM PDT by Willie Green

To: Revelation 911

Well it IS generally accepted that a Grizz attacks almost always because it feels threatened, almost never as feeding behavior. Playing dead is the recommended response if you get hit, on the theory that once you cease to be a threat, it will leave you alone. Blackies OTOH sometimes seem to view humans as a food source. Fighting back is recommended.

Stephen Herrero from (I think) the University of Alberta is the foremost researcher on bear attacks. You can find quite a bit on the web by doing a search on his name.

38 posted on 08/19/2002 4:40:20 PM PDT by kms61

From Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, California
300 pound bear killed trying to get into house QUARTZ VALLEY -- A 300 pound black bear was killed outside a Quartz Valley home Friday morning after it broke out a bedroom window in an attempt to get inside the house. The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department received a call reporting a possible prowler on Quartz Valley Drive at about 3 a.m. The woman making the report called back a few minutes later saying she had heard gunshots outside her home. When deputies arrived, they were contacted by a neighbor who reported a bear had attempted to gain entry into his house by breaking out a window into his bedroom. The bear was not displaying any fear of the man's dogs or the man, so he told deputies he fired two shots to the bear's face. The bear eventually left the window and died a short distance away. Ron Presley with the Department of Fish Game was called to investigate the shooting. Presley said his office had received reports of bear sightings the day before the event, but at a location a little further to the east. Something attracted this bear to the inside of a house and there was not much the owner could do except to defend his home. Bears are attracted to the smell of food, "but what can you do if you have food smells coming out of your home and they try to get in?" Presley said. The law prohibits the shooting of a bear outside of hunting season, unless a depredation permit is obtained or when public safety comes into play as in this case. Presley investigated the shooting and confirmed the story that the owner gave. "It was clear that the animal had caused damage," Presley said. "If a bear is threatening the public, it can be killed. We will do an investigation after the fact, confirm the situation, and no depredation permit need be issued in that case," Presley said. Presley described the bear in this incident as a mature male weighing close to 300 pounds with some damaged teeth, which Presley said could be the reason why he was looking for food that was a little easier to take. "I don't think anyone would deny the man the opportunity to defend himself. That's a scary thing when bears start coming into residential areas," Presley said. -- By Pat Arnold

39 posted on 08/19/2002 4:43:56 PM PDT by sasquatch

Sorry for the FU format...
It didn't preview that way. S.

40 posted on 08/19/2002 4:45:39 PM PDT by sasquatch

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