Irrespective of what P.E.T.A. and other people hating, animal loving groups will say; Some animals are just plain dangerous. Figure it out folks. It seems like every year these warnings have to be brought to the publics attention. Any day now, I fully expect to be reading about a Raccoon attack. Lakewood and the cities that form the Denver metropolitan area are infested with them. No, I am not joking, not in the least.
At some point I am going to write about Urban wildlife, and the dangers that they present.
WOMAN INJURED BY BEAR IN JEFFERSON COUNTY
A 38 year-old woman from Conifer, Colo., was injured at 12:30 AM Monday morning when a bear swatted her outside her home. Responding to her barking dog on the porch, she encountered a bear, which was one of three in the vicinity. The victim’s ten year-old daughter witnessed the incident and described the bear as small, weighing around 50-60 lbs. The dark nighttime conditions made positive identification of the animal difficult.
Working with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, a Division of Wildlife Officer followed tracks leading away from the home to a nearby area where he encountered three bears. One of the bears charged the officer, forcing him to discharge his firearm. The bear was shot and killed, and later brought to the Division of Wildlife’s Wildlife Health Laboratory for testing and necropsy.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) set a trap for the additional bears. Pending test results may alter the management tools used to address the other bears. “Public safety is our first priority,” said Reid DeWalt, Area Wildlife Manager. “The instructions we give our Wildlife Officers is clear–people come first when considering how to deal with aggressive or habituated wildlife.”
The victim was taken to Swedish Medical Center in Littleton. Communications with emergency responders revealed the injuries were not life threatening. She was released early this morning.
Most conflicts between people and bears involve some sort of food source. In this case, it was food placed in snow banks during a power outage and unsecured garbage cans in a shed that may have brought the bears near. Colorado residents should know that bears can smell food from miles away, be it birdfeed, pet food, a greasy barbeque grill grate or accessible refuse. DOW recommends the following:
Make your property safe by keeping garbage out of reach and smell of bears. Use bear-proof trash containers. Be sure garbage cans are emptied regularly. Periodically clean garbage cans to reduce residual odor—using hot water and chlorine bleach, or by burning trash residue in cans. Store trash in a bear proof enclosure. Contact the Division of Wildlife for designs.
If you have pets, do not store their food or feed them outside. Clean your BBQ grill of grease and store inside. Hang bird seed, suet and hummingbird feeders on a wire between trees instead of on your deck or porch. Bring all bird feeders in at night. Do not put fruit, melon rinds and other tasty items in mulch or compost piles.
As you might guess, beehives attract bears. You can protect your bees, honey, and equipment if you surround the hives with fences designed to keep bears out. Contact the Division of Wildlife for designs.
Most bears sighted in residential areas within bear habitat do not cause any damage. If a bear doesn’t find abundant food, it will move on.
Aggressive bear attacks are rare, but encounters such as this one have increased as Colorado’s population grows. The bear population has not increased, but the number of people living, working and recreating in bear country has.
There are no definite rules about what to do if you meet a bear. In most cases, bears avoid confrontations with people.
Here are some suggestions if you see a bear:
- Stay calm. If you see a bear and it has not seen you, calmly leave the area. As you move away, make noise to let the bear discover your presence.
- Stop. Back away slowly while facing the bear. Avoid direct eye contact, as bears may perceive this as a threat.
- Give the bear plenty of room to escape. Bears rarely attack people unless they feel threatened or provoked.
- Do not run. If on a trail, step off the trail on the downhill side and slowly move away. Do not run or make any sudden movements. Running is likely to prompt the bear to give chase, and you cannot outrun a bear.
- Speak softly. This may reassure the bear that you mean it no harm. Try not to show fear.
- If a black bear attacks you, use tools such as rocks, sticks, binoculars and even their bare hands to defend yourself. Aim for the nose or eyes if possible.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing wildlife and its habitat, as well as providing wildlife related recreation. The Division is funded through hunting and fishing license fees, federal grants and Colorado Lottery proceeds through Great Outdoors Colorado.
For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.
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