Tag: black bear

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Black Bear attack near Havelock

BlackBear

Looks like old blackie got a little rough in the Havelock area this past weekend. Fortunately for Lynn O’Connor of Peterborough, her faithful companions were by her side!

 

Here’s the article from yesterday’s paper:

(QMI Agency by Sarah Deeth)

Lynn O’Connor, 53, thought she was about to die when a mother bear attacked and bit her in the stomach, but her two dogs saved her life.She is at home recovering from the vicious bear attack near her Belmont-Methuen Township cottage Sunday afternoon.

It was a little after 3:30 p.m. and she was out for a walk with her German shepherds, Jake, 12, and Kyra, 5. Jake is blind, partially deaf and doesn’t move so well, but still loves its daily walk on the 69 acres the couple owns south of Hwy. 7, about 90 minutes northeast of Toronto. Kyra was running in and out of the bushes, chasing squirrels and birds, when O’Connor noticed a bear staring at her.

A few terrifying seconds later the bear attacked.

“It wasn’t interested in the dogs, it just came right for me,” O’Connor said. “It just put me down and just started biting me. The first bite it took, I thought, ‘It’s going to kill me,’” she said.

Jake lunged at the bear and managed to distract it enough to lure it 10 feet away from O’Connor. O’Connor said she heard a yelp. The bear had knocked Jake down, and the dog struggled to get back up. Kyra stepped into the fray, baiting the bear away from Jake, O’Connor said. But the bear was still interested in O’Connor and attacked her again, biting her abdomen, arms and legs.

O’Connor’s husband Jerry, 55, was sitting in their cabin watching a football game when he heard a commotion. He said he hopped on an ATV and followed the screaming. He found his wife in the middle of the path, covered in blood. She had one of her walking sticks in her hand and was poking it into the air, he said. Jake was lying at her feet. Kyra was running down the trail, away from him, but he couldn’t see anything chasing the dog.

Jerry said he put his wife on the ATV, but by then the bear had come back. The dogs continued to protect them, he said, circling the ATV and keeping the bear at bay. Jerry drove Lynn to the cottage and got her in the car.

“She said, ‘We’re not leaving without Jake,” Jerry said.

Out of the corner of his eye Jerry saw something black racing around the corner at them. For one heart-stopping second, he thought it was the bear again. It was Jake. He jumped in the car and the family drove away.

“Those dogs are heroes,” Jerry said. “They were willing to give their lives for her.”

Lynn was released from the hospital Monday morning. The dogs don’t have a mark on them, Jerry said.

 

Although the investigation is ongoing, in my opinion the behaviour of this bear is very much predatory in nature. The fact that this bruin had returned following the initial attack and continued to pursue O’Connor and her dogs were there to protect her, leads me to a couple of conclusions.

1) Without her dogs present, this bear would have killed and eaten her.

2) This bear will, undoubtedly, turn-out to be a predatory male; responsible for  nearly all fatal bear attacks in North America.

The attack does; however, leave one burning question:

Was the bear possibly attracted by Country Music at this summer’s Havelock Jamboree??

 

Outdoorsguy

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Convicted killer eaten by bear in BC

 blackbear

 

According to officials in British Columbia, convicted killer Rory Nelson Wager was pulled from the open window of his car and eaten by a black bear. Investigators believe Nelson may have been dead already.

Here’s the story from the Calgary SUN:

CALGARY – The corpse of a man eaten by a B.C. bear was that of a convicted killer, officials have confirmed.

The B.C. Coroners Service identified the man as 53-year-old Rory Nelson Wagner of Kamloops, B.C., whose dismembered and partially consumed remains were found Wednesday on a remote logging road between Merritt and Kamloops.

The National Parole Board confirmed he had fled a halfway house in Kamloops.

He was convicted of second-degree murder and began his sentence on May 31, 1996, according to Correctional Services of Canada. He had recently been granted day parole.

Wagner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, along with two other men, for the 1993 killing of Langley, B.C., resident Andy Kohlman, after Kohlman had been cleared of sexual assault allegations involving a relative of Wagner’s, according to media reports.

Wagner had been missing since May 23.

“They let people know when they’re expected to return, if they’re going to be late they’re expected to phone and of course he didn’t return,” said Patrick Storey of the NPB Pacific office.

“They were aware that he was missing, however they weren’t aware until recently that he was deceased.”

Hunters spotted his vehicle on a remote logging road and called Mounties, who discovered Wagner’s body hidden beneath some brush.

Officials believe he was already dead when a black bear dragged him out of an open car window to feed on him.

The fact the adult black bear approached the vehicle, then dragged Wagner out to eat is a serious concern for the B.C. environment minister and conservation officers, who are hunting the bruin.

“The concern is once it has lost its fear of humans, then others it comes into contact with would be at risk and this is an area well-used for hiking and fishing and there’s ranching up there as well,” said Minister Terry Lake.

Traps are set and conservation officers are on the hunt.

Acting Insp. Darcy MacPhee, of the Thompson Cariboo Region’s conservation officers, said the bear is likely to return, but might have moved on for now.

While the Coroners Service is confident Wagner was already dead when the bear found him, it’s still unclear what did kill him.

“We should be able to rule a few things out very shortly after the preliminary autopsy … if there was any trauma or any natural disease that caused death,” said Mark Coleman, regional coroner for the interior region.

“If those are ruled out we’d be waiting mainly on toxicology.”

[email protected]

 

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Luskville bear collision a freak accident

bearonroad

Blame, in this unfortunate fatal bear collision near Luskville, it seems, is being cast in a number of areas, and we have several experts on hand to attest to that: 

Here is a list I have compiled of factors identified by several experts as being to blame: 

1) Hunters are to blame for pursuing bears over bait. 2) Three registered black bear outfitters are to blame – who operate in that area (between 70 – 100 km away) 3) A black bear sow’s maternal instincts are to blame 4)Gatineau Park is also to blame for having no bear season 5) Bear hunting itself could really be to blame, although stats show it is more popular in other areas of the province. 6) Bear populations are also to blame as stats show bear numbers are on the increase, and finally 7) Road conditions are to blame because of an 80 KM per hour speed limit along the 148 and poor visibility at that time of night. 

When sifting thru the reasons why this terrible accident happened, there is something that keeps jumping out at me…this was a FREAK ACCIDENT and a terrible one; no doubt. 

It was so rare; in fact, I could not find another case in North America where multiple fatalities resulted from a bear – vehicle collision. I couldn’t find a case where even one person died from hitting a bear on the road. 

Sure, we can cast blame until we are blue in the face and it is human nature – don’t get me wrong – to look for a cause, or blame following such a terrible loss. The fact of the matter is, though, we have wildlife in our region and vehicle strikes do occur – usually not with such unfortunate outcome, but it happens. 

The province of Quebec does their best to control bear numbers with 1, and in some cases 2 hunting seasons throughout the year. 

Could more be do to thin the bear numbers in western QC and eastern ON? 

Possibly, but what the stats don’t show is that bruin numbers in the Pontiac and Outaouais are actually lower today than they were a few years back, before expended hunting opportunities were introduced in that region.

I feel very very sad for the families and loved ones, but we need to keep things in perspective here. This type of accident could easily have been called ‘an act of God’ as the way things unfolded on that hwy the other evening is perhaps the biggest fluke in big-game collision history. 

I can’t even imagine one of my family or friends being involved and you hate to say such a tragedy could be chalked up to bad luck, but really that is the truth of the matter.

Outdoorsguy

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Bells Corners bear becoming a problem

Bellsbear

For those of you who didn’t catch Larissa Cahute’s article in yesterday’s paper:

A bear has taken up residence in Bells Corners.

A number of community members have reported sightings of the oversized visitor.

Muriel Inglis, who lives on Evergreen Dr., thought raccoons were rummaging through her bird feeders when her motion lights came on Saturday night. When she got out of bed to check, it was “a hell of a shock.”

“There was this nice, great, big, hunk of a black bear,” said Inglis.

Inglis said it was in the backyard for about 15 minutes. He trailed through her backyard, tearing down grass, plants and bird feeders.

According to Inglis, the Ministry of Wildlife and Natural Resources said they’ll only take action if the bear becomes aggressive.

“As far as I’m concerned the ministry should do more about it,” she said Tuesday.

“Behind our hedge, the walk is all kinds of paths — a path to Bell High School where kids walk back and forth to school.

“It’s a good 250-to-300 lb. bear — it was no cub,” said Inglis.

Guy Duxbury lives nearby on Foothills Dr. He spotted the bear Monday just before 6 a.m. — but he said the bear is not new to the neighbourhood.

Apparently, a neighbour reported a sighting last year.

“And it’s a regular visitor now,” said Duxbury.

He said his visit from the bear lasted about three minutes. “It ripped down the bird feeder and it rambled off.”

Duxbury believes the bear is in the swampy area behind Bell High School, which is why he was quick to call the police.

“Being so close to Bell High School … it wasn’t good for the kids going in the morning,” he said.

Laura Sandvold lives on Evergreen Dr., and although she hasn’t spotted the animal, she’s worried for her family’s safety.

“I’ve got two children,” she said. “We don’t let them go out in the backyard anymore — and it’s summer, the weather just started getting nice.”

Sandvold has called the ministry as well and said they only gave her tips for when confronted by the bear. She was told to make noise, look big and walk backwards, slowly.

“That’s useful if you’re in bear country — but I don’t feel that we’re in bear country,” said Sandvold.

“That’s a whole other level of wild life.”

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Grow op Bears Gain National Attention

Well, it is certainly great to be back from holidays, all rested up and full of piss and vinegar!

I’m really glad to see that no one tore this place down whilst I was gone..although it was touch and go there for awhile.

So, have you heard about the Grow-Op Bears in Alberta? What a hornets nest that is!

Growopbears

(Photo courtesy of the RCMP)

According to SUN MEDIA:

“A group of up to 15 bears were found a few weeks ago near Christina Lake, hanging about near a patch of more than 1,000 pot plants and devoid of natural instincts to be fearful of humans.

Officials said the concern now is the bears are dependent on human handouts, like dog food allegedly doled out to keep them in the area, and they may be unable to fend for themselves.

Criminal charges are pending against the people who occupied the land and they likely face charges under the Provincial Wildlife Act, which, on conviction, could see a fine of up to $100,000.”

Now a petition has been started on Facebook (God forbid) to save these bears which appear destined to be euthanized. 

The whole situation is a shame on many different levels..

What do you think about all this..drop me a line?

Outdoorsguy

P.S. Well, hope everyone had a good summer, believe it or not in less than two weeks it’ll all be over.

P.P.S. I hoping to put up a post featuring frequent Outdoors Guy contributer Iggy and his successful black bear hunt in Northern ON….

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New Hampshire bear plays Goldilocks and steals stuffy

bearattack

In a New Hampshire town known more for its annual motorcycle rally, a brazen black bear has made international news. 

The wayward black bear strolled into Mary Beth Parkinson’s home in Laconia New Hampshire this week through an open door, and made itself quite at home in the family kitchen. 

The bear is being dubbed as ‘Goldilocks’ not because it ate porridge, but instead snacked on some pears and a clump of grapes it found sitting out. 

The bruin then washed it all down with a drink from the family fishbowl and grabbed a stuffed likeness of itself – a ‘teddy bear’ – on the way out the door. 

When the woman arrived home the sound of the garage door opening startled the bear which then made a run for it! 

Mary Beth Parkinson said she will make sure all her doors are properly shut when she leaves the house next time.

Now, how come this sort of thing never happens in Toronto?

In a related story, a bear in Colorado tore apart the inside of someone’s car this week. Apparently, it got in to eat a peanut butter sandwich left on the back seat, and was trapped inside when the door closed.

Outdoorsguy

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Pickle Jar Bear may have broken free

bearjar

Reports from North-western Ontario seem to indicate the black bear who has spent more than 2-weeks with a plastic pickle jar stuck on his head, has managed to free itself.

The MNR office in Thunder Bay received a call from a resident who claims to have found a broken plastic container matching the description of the one first seen lodged on a bear’s head more than 2-weeks ago!

Hair analysis will be performed on the plastic jar for the presence of bear hair.

Another witness who saw the bear just two days ago and snapped a photo of it, claims it was in an entirely different area at the time and is sceptical of the jar found.

So there you go, the bear may or may not be free.  I will keep you posted!

Outdoorsguy

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Ottawa Police chase black bear through Nepean

policebear

On his way home from work yesterday evening around 4 PM, Ian McDonald passed the Fallowfield train station in Nepean, when he observed 4 to 5 Ottawa Police Officers walking down the tracks with hands on their guns.

McDonald noticed that the police where spread out in a line at about 10 feet apart. He kept his eye on the area to see what was transpiring, just as a bus went down Fallow field Road.

When McDonald was approximately half way to Greenbank, he discovered what the officers where searching for – when he spotted a black bear tearing across the open field just north of the train station.

There is still no word on what occurred or if the bear has been captured.

It must be a bad week for misguided bears as yesterday we heard from Tom in Kemptville, about a black bear reported wandering around his children’s school property.

Thanks to Ian McDonald for this on-the-spot report…if you witness anything out of the ordinary with local fish or wildlife, please drop me a line!

(Note: the photograph is unrelated to this story)

Outdoorsguy