Deadly Bear Attack Near Yellowstone

[uppityperson]

1 person killed, 2 injured, spread out over a distance. They are not sure if it was black bear(s) or grizzly(s).

http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/Deadly-Bear-Attack-Near-Yellowstone-99519614.html

BILLINGS - One person is dead and two others injured after what wildlife officials are calling a very unusual bear attack at a popular campground near Yellowstone National Park.Officials are still trying to figure out exactly what happened early Wednesday morning when a bear attacked 3 separate campers at the Soda Butte Campgrounds located one mile east of Cooke City. Investigators are still trying to locate the bear or bears involved in the attack, and determine what prompted it.

It was a strange and unsettling incident for wildlife officials Wednesday when they responded to reports of a bear attack at the Soda Butte Campgrounds near Cooke City at 2:30 a.m. Within hours officials received two more reports of bear attacks and by 4:30 they discovered the body of one of the victims, a deceased adult male.

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Spokesman Ron Aasheim said the incident was troubling. "It's just one of those horrible, horrible tragedies. The interesting parts of this, no food storage rules were violated. There are bear boxes up there so it is a real interesting set of circumstances."

Two other campers were also injured in the attack, an adult male and female. Both victims were transported by ambulance to a hospital in Cody. Officials say bear attacks in Montana are unusual and rarely result in death. But what's even more puzzling said Aasheim is the fact that the three campers were in separate tents located at different sites within the campground. The attacks were located at the campground entrance, another 200 yards away, and one more a quarter of a mile away from there...

http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/07/28/14858761.html

LONDON, Ont. - A London woman who awoke to a bear chewing on her arm survived by playing dead during the animal's violent late-night rampage through a U.S. campground Tuesday. The remarkably calm reaction of 58-year-old Deb Freele probably saved her life during the attack, one of several that left another camper dead in the campsite near Yellowstone Park.

"I thought I was going to be dinner," Freele told Reuters in an interview from her hospital bed in Cody, Wyo. "Within hundredths of a second, I felt the teeth in my arm, heard bones breaking. I screamed and that seemed to aggravate him.

"So I decided to play dead and mean it."

Though that kind of presence of mind may stun many people, Freele's son, John, told QMI Agency late Wednesday he's not surprised at all: His mom, an outdoors aficionado, has advised him in the past to react in just that manner if a bear attacks...

http://www.billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_21d02556-9a58-11df-b1f3-001cc4c03286.html

OOKE CITY — One man was killed in a bear attack early Wednesday at Soda Butte Campground east of this remote mountain town and two other campers at separate sites were injured in an unusual attack that has left even some veteran residents unsettled because of its ferocity.

“This is not typical bear behavior. It’s odd. It’s not normal,” said Ron Aasheim, Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman. The Park County Coroner’s Office has not released the name of the fatally injured man, pending notification of family.

Campers Paige and Don Wilhelm, of Aledo, Texas, were camped in site No. 12 of the 10-acre campground when they heard a scream at about 1:30 a.m. At first, they thought it was just teenagers screwing around. They checked on their two boys, ages 12 and 9, and then tried to go back to sleep.

Then they heard another scream, this one closer.
“I heard somebody yell, ‘Stop! No!’ ” said Paige Wilhelm.
And then they heard the woman yell, “A bear’s attacked me!”
As they arose to dress, they heard a bear come by their tent, making a “huffing” sound.
They hustled their sons into their SUV and drove to the woman’s campsite, where they could see her lying in her sleeping bag, her arm bloodied...

[Ron Green]

1. My wife and I were hiking in Glacier Park a week ago...

When we came upon fresh bear shit we turned around and walked back awhile before we had our picnic.

[willing dwarf]

2. Something has happened to the bear

I know that sometimes in the past when this sort of thing has happened authorities have talked with native american wise men/wise women. I wonder if they were to talk with them now if there might be insight about the roots of these strange terrifying attack.

[Winterblues]

8. Maybe it had a toothache....

:shrug:

[uppityperson]

10. So far it looks like a mother with yearlings and no observable reason

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hgo06dZIelx1qAy77RSSunb4StVw

Sheppard described the rampage — in which campers in three different tents were mauled as they slept — as a highly unusual predatory attack.

"She basically targeted the three people and went after them," Sheppard said. "It wasn't like an archery hunter who gets between a sow and her cubs and she responds to protect them."
(clip)

The grizzly involved in the latest attack showed no outward signs of sickness or starvation that might have explained its unusual behaviour, said Fish Wildlife and Parks spokeswoman Andrea Jones.

[roguevalley]

24. It could be that someone harassed her and she remembered it,

taking out the possibility of more harm before it happens. They just happened to be the ones who had to pay for it.

[uppityperson]

27. A tent in a public campground harassed her?

So she felt she had the right to maul random tents she came across? I'd say she had a problem of some sort.

Edited to add that I am glad they finally figured out one of the problems with tranquilizing bears repeatedly, moving them repeatedly is the drug. Can you imagine being a bear, knocked up with pcp, handled by humans, over and over?

[roguevalley]

43. what I said is what happens with moose sometimes around here.

a past experience with humans, perhaps with other cubs, could have lead her to take her actions. And bears are not concerned with rights. To impart the notion of 'so she felt she had the right to maul random tents she came across' is not part of her thinking and purely human judgementalism. If she had a bad experience earlier, she might have acted now this time with these people. Big difference.

[CreekDog]

3. A bear charged a group of 12 tourists last week at Denali near the visitor center

that was unusual.

oh and for black bears, you don't play dead, you fight them (good luck). :o

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. I never understood that logic. I'm a city boy so please forgive my ignorance.

I thought black bears only want to neutralize a threat so playing dead, once the attack begins, would be wise. That's not to say you shouldn't stand your ground in a charge to head off an attack.

A brown bear, on the other hand, wants you for dinner. No? So isn't the brown likely to keep eating even if you play dead?

[uppityperson]

7. It depends on the type of attack, provoked (can include wtf?) and predatory & type of bear

Black vs grizzly/brown bears (and it can be difficult to tell the difference, or may be obvious)

Typically a black bear is not as brave and if it actually attacks you it may scare it off by fighting. Play dead, if it bites, fight back. It may charge but if it bites, you have a problem.

Brown bears, grizzlies don't scare, typically, so playing dead is the advice, unless it wants to eat you or starts hauling you away. Typically a brown/grizzly will attack them once it determines you are "dead" will go away. A bear wandering past a tent might decide to take a bite out of something laying against the wall so the advice is don't pack your tent so tightly you will touch the wall at night.


There are 2 basic categories of attacks.

Provoked attacks include bear with cubs or yearlings or 2 yr olds, defending a food source, just plain startelement, though you may not know what provoked it. Stay calm, speak quietly, back away, don't make direct eye contact but keep talking quietly and backing away slowly, drop @ last sec to curl on belly/side in fetal position with hands behind neck.

Then there are predatory attacks, where the bear considers you food. You may notice a bear stalking you and includes night attacks since you have done nothing to provoke them. This includes bears habituated to humans through food, garbage, etc who have that little switch in their head click "food?" and just plain nutso bears (bears are like humans in that they have a few nasty ones).


Though this guy advises guns though sometimes spray (and true, it depends on where you are), he spells out the difference between bears decently. Of course there are bears that don't act typical, this is more of a broad guideline.

http://www.arcticwebsite.com/BearSurvival.html

The Black Bear:
The black bear is the smallest of the bears. He is primarily a scavenger, not a hunter. In areas where people are present he has learned that people can provide food, and he may have lost much of his fear of man. Use the procedure as above, but if he attacks it is likely that he has mistaken you for food, or that you have food, or he could be rogue. Play dead, but if he bites, fight back.

The Grizzly Bear:
The grizzly bear is indifferent to man. He as no fear of man and will attack if he feels like it. Sometimes he may not attack and may run away. The best thing is to avoid him and never surprise him. If he does attack he rarely sustains his attack, after you play dead. Remember he is a very big animal and his weight alone can kill.

The Polar Bear:
The polar bear is the most deadly of all. While his normal food is seal, they have been known, for centuries, to attack humans. Until the introduction of firearms, the native people of the north have lived in fear of them. Many early explorers have told horror stories of polar bear attacks. These bears are known to stalk and hunt humans. If you are in polar bear country carry a firearm or avoid the area.

http://www.mountainnature.com/wildlife/bears/bearencounters.htm

Predatory Encounters. While this is a rare situation, and generally refers to predatory attacks by black bears, this can be a very serious encounter. Since the bear is hunting you as prey, you must be prepared for an imminent attack. The bear may circle you, slowly moving in closer and closer until it decides whether to attack or not.

(clip)

If a black bear (or any bear that is stalking you) makes contact. If the attack escalates and a black bear (or any bear that appears to have been stalking you) physically contacts you, fight back with anything that is available to you. Black bears tend to be more timid than grizzlies and fighting back may scare the bear off. In addition, if a bear is stalking you than you are in a predatory situation and fighting back is your only option. This also applies to any attack at night as these may also be considered predatory in nature.
(clip)
If a grizzly makes contact. As above, if you believe the bear to be stalking you, fight back with everything you have. In general though, playing dead in a daytime grizzly encounter tends to reduce the level of injury sustained by most attack victims. Many grizzly attacks are defensive in nature, and playing dead may show the bear that you are not a threat.

http://www.wikihow.com/Escape-from-a-Bear

If any bear makes a predatory attack or you receive any attack from a black bear: Fight back. Fight a black bear attack or any predatory attack. If the bear is a black bear, or if you have determined that the bear sees you as food (this is actually quite rare, and more common with black bears and, some say, polar bears than with grizzlies), your only chance of escape is to fight it or scare it away. Hit the bear with rocks, pots, pans, sticks or fists—anything handy, really. The odds may seem against you in a fight, but bears generally do not see humans as prey, and a bear that makes a predatory attacks is usually immature, starving, or wounded, and may easily be scared away if you hit it.

I grew up terrified of bears, knowing that there was a bear with my name written across its brain. Over the yrs, living and camping where bears lived, I grew used to them and very much like them. I have startled a mom with young cubs (oh mama bear I am so sorry, while backing off) and one with a 2 yr old who shook the bushes at me and growled loud and sure startled me back. I backed off apologizing intensely. I've walked down a trail in AK to come to a sudden stop since someone was watching me closely in the dense brush. Talking quietly, telling bear I'm just passing through, am glad you share your space and walk quietly and slowly on. Came back 5 min later to find huge tracks walking the way I was now going. Nice bear, good bear.

Bears are very cool, though it will be interesting to find out what happened with this attack since it is far outside the norm.


Finally, another bear story:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/07/29/2010-07-29_nh_bear_nibbles_montana_bruin_kills.html

A New Hampshire mom returned home to find a black bear had been rifling through her kitchen - helping itself to two pears and a bunch of grapes, before taking a drink from the family fishbowl.

Mary Beth Parkinson said she believes the animal entered through an open side door Tuesday.

It fled the Laconia house when it heard the garage door going up - but not before grabbing a stuffed bear on its way out.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/07/29/2010-07-29_nh_bear_nibbles_montana_bruin_kills.html#ixzz0v5fsjBQP

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Provided there are no cubs around, you can just hoot n holler and wave your arms at a black bear.

[roguevalley]

26. black bears will stalk you, hurt you, kill you. they will eat you. browns and

grizzs, they can be sometimes conned into letting up if you play dead. Black bears don't seem to know that game. Most I've seen though will look and run away. Polar bears won't. We are seeing them down in the kuskokwim valley now. :(

[uppityperson]

28. whoah, that is quite far south for them. ewww. Pack ice melting issue?

dang, that sounds bad.

[roguevalley]

42. it is. awfully so I must say. :(

[BrightKnight]

30. LOL - Black bears are not people hunting land sharks.

They are very intelligent and resourceful scavengers. In the rare cases where they eat meat it is almost always carrion. They have a sense of smell that is 400X better than a bloodhound to enable them find things like berries and grubs. Bear teeth are almost all large flat molars. Even the larger and more aggressive grizzly bears have a diet that is more than 90% plant material.

If black bears can overcome their natural fear of people they might take an interest in your food or aromatics. In the rare cases where a black bear confronts a human it is usually because they are surprised and or feel threatened because you are too close. In some cases they have confronted humans because they wanted the food that they were carrying. I have never heard of a black bear hunting people. Black bears are generally shy and very easy to run off.

I spend more than a month each year solo backpacking in bear country. I have have seen and photographed bears but I never had a problem.
--
I am much more concerned about mountain lions. They are pure predators eating nothing but meat. They can silently jump 30 plus feet sinking their razor sharp claws deep in your flesh. You see and hear absolutely nothing before they separate the vertebrae in your neck with a single bite. They perform the kill bite flawlessly every time on pure instinct. They much prefer to hunt dear but they will and do hunt humans.

[MajorChode]

14. Some of the bears in Alaska are more aggressive

They also tend to be larger and more carnivorous compared to bears in the lower 48.

[flvegan]

5. Guess what kids...

You're not the top 'o the food chain anymore, much as that may upset you. Sad really. Never really were, laughably. I feel horrible for the families involved in these. Tragic losses.

[CreekDog]

13. food chain

[uppityperson]

16. I feel sad for the cubs since mama taught them poorly

IF the mama and cubs they caught are the ones, mama will be killed and they're not sure about the yearlings since they've been taught that people are prey. Poor cubs and indeed the poor people camping.

[BrightKnight]

22. That could be it. Orphaned bears tend to behave unpredictably as adults.

Bears that don't get a proper education are known to be unpredictable and dangerous.

Adolescent males bears act weird too. They do things like destroying brightly colored tents.

--
The yearlings will have to be destroyed. I can't see any zoos wanting anything to do with them.

[uppityperson]

23. Include that these ones got an education that tents and the people within are fair game

It is really sad for them.

[Naturyl]

6. Nature is changing in response to the human onslaught

I believe this will be scientifically shown one day - or maybe I'm just nuts.

[Chulanowa]

21. It's getting over the shock of the past 200 years, and is putting us back on the food chain

But, I came of age in Alaska. Which is sort of the Western Hemisphere version of Australia, in that everything out there seems specifically designed to kill people :)

[Pavulon]

34. Meh. My approach has always been the same. 12ga with slugs

never used it but know that if something decides to make me into its stinky turd I have a chance. Yep its heavy but worth carrying in some places.

[uppityperson]

9. UPDATE, mother grizzly, 2 cubs caught

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hgo06dZIelx1qAy77RSSunb4StVw

A mother grizzly and two of her three cubs have been captured after killing a Michigan man and injuring two others during a late-night rampage through a campground near Yellowstone National Park. The mother, estimated to weigh 300 pounds (136 kilograms) to 400 pounds (180 kilograms), was lured into a trap fashioned from culvert pipe Wednesday evening, then left in place to attract the year-old offspring. By Thursday morning, two of the younger bears had been caught and the third could be heard nearby, calling out to its mother.
(clip)
Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden Capt. Sam Sheppard said he was confident they had captured the killer bear because it came back to the same site where the man was killed early Wednesday. Sheppard described the rampage — in which campers in three different tents were mauled as they slept — as a highly unusual predatory attack. "She basically targeted the three people and went after them," Sheppard said. "It wasn't like an archery hunter who gets between a sow and her cubs and she responds to protect them."

(clip)
The grizzly involved in the latest attack showed no outward signs of sickness or starvation that might have explained its unusual behaviour, said Fish Wildlife and Parks spokeswoman Andrea Jones.
(clip)Yet in the case of the Wednesday's attack, all the victims had put their food into metal food canisters installed at campsite, Sheppard said. "They were doing things right," he said. "It was random. I have no idea why this bear picked these three tents out of all the tents there."

http://www.codyenterprise.com/news/local/article_7b6bdcc6-9b2b-11df-9e7e-001cc4c03286.html

A multi-agency wildlife forensic team had been searching for the bear, which officials say displayed highly atypical behavior by aggressively attacking three separate campsites in the middle of the night, apparently not related to a search for food. "This bear was unprovoked and taking on victims, apparently seeking them out," said Ron Aasheim of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
(clip)
Aasheim said confirmation through DNA tests that the female grizzly was the attack bear are expected by Thursday afternoon.

The grizzly sow was captured at 6 p.m. Wednesday and two of the yearling cubs were captured Thursday morning. The bears were left in place in the traps until the third cub can be captured, Aasheim said.

He said a trap was set at the exact site of the fatal attack. A flap of Kammer's tent was placed over the trap, and the bear ripped through it and went into the trap," Aasheim said....

[petronius]

15. It seems a little strange that "playing dead" is credited with saving the woman

when the attacks are also being characterized as predatory - perhaps the bear was just picky about what she ate.

Hope the two survivors recover quickly...

[uppityperson]

17. It does seem odd. There have been reports of bears & tents that this reminds me of

passing a tent, noticing something bulging and taking a bite. Once the woman played dead, suddenly the "pursuit/prey" thing got turned off and the bear went on? Maybe the bear was browsing, sampling "try me"s and finally found something good to munch on?

[BrightKnight]

25. Actually, bears rarely eat fresh meat.

They are generally scavengers and they eat mostly carrion. For some reason they usually prefer to let a kill sit an ripen a while before they eat it.

It is my understanding that playing dead might work because the bear no longer sees you as a threat. I am not sure that is recommended for a predatory attack. A vigorous defense against a determined grizzly would probably fail.

[uppityperson]

11. Trap they caught the bear in, whoa. Check out the bait.

It is the tent of the man who was killed.

[leftstreet]

19. Thanks for all the updates

Appreciate it.

This whole thing is bizarre. That photo's creepy!

[Evasporque]

18. Tom Brokaw reported "President Bush...

...was eaten by wolves today."

[SoCalDem]

20. Headline in Bear Chronicle: Yearly onlsaught of Human invaders endanger our young..n/t

[Mimosa]

31. Yay!

The bears, no matter what their colours or beliefs, seem to have an idea that there are acres of land which is devoid of humans some of the time. And for many generations, no funny human beings at all, save occasional hunting Indians. Therefore the bears seem to believe that certain territories are theirs.

Why do people have to go sleeping outside at nights when they have houses and hotels, even campers?

[uppityperson]

33. Have you never slept in a tent or under the stars? You are missing a lot

We camp because it is NOT in a building or camper but on the ground, by mother earth. Listening to the night noises and songs. Feeling the breeze or fog on our faces. Dealing with mosquitoes buzzing in our ears and suddenly going silent. Smelling the soil, the plants, the wafts coming past. Watching the stars, the shooting stars and auroras. Waiting for sunrise which comes soon and is beautiful.

Reconnecting with the world is a good reason to camp or sleep out. It is also cheaper than a motel.

[depakid]

35. "mosquitoes buzzing in our ears"

You're FAR more likely to contract a mosquito borne illness than you are to be killed by a bear in your tent. Less "glamorous" perhaps, but lifelong brain damage from equine encephalitis can leave you wishing you were dead.

[uppityperson]

36. I'm not worried about either but take precautions. Worst mosquito sound is silence.

It has landed and is ready to bite. Somewhere. Or walking on you. Somewhere..... That "buzzzzzz" sudden stop is unnerving. Where is it? Did it leave...suddenly? Or is it on me?

Bug dope is a good thing if you are out in areas where mosquitoes carry diseases and even if they don't.

[depakid]

37. It's something people should be concerned about- but generally aren't

'cause it's not as "sexy" a topic as being attacked by a bear... or a crocodile.

Happens a lot more than people realize, and the various diseases surely can leave people just as dead:

Alert issued after 2 die of mosquito-borne illness
July 29, 2010

Gulf Coast health officials are urging residents to use mosquito repellant after two people died of Eastern equine encephalitis this month.

http://www.newsherald.com/news/tampa-85747-alert-borne.html

[uppityperson]

38. Probably depends on where you are also.

Deet is a good thing. So are tents since they have screens. Where I am we have very few mosquitoes and I can lay out looking at the stars. On those rare nights it is clear.

[depakid]

39. The Cascades are full of mossies this time of year

My ex knew someone from high school who she said "was never the same" after getting encephalitis on a trip to one of the high lakes.

West Nile is out there too:

http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/Zoo/WNV/WNV.html

Around here we use hardcore stuff that has a higher concentration of deet than is allowed in the states.



Of course, it does nothing to protect you from the drop bears. :o

[uppityperson]

40. Those drop bears are a real pest mate

I just got Unseen Academicals. Am quite sad about Pratchett's early onset alzheimers and love the XXX books. I'm saving my change in a jar, when I get enough I'll pop in for a visit.

[depakid]

41. LOL- hard to believe but people actually fall for that!

Funny story (not about that, but about how I found out the hard way that everything around here bites or stings).

Was out working the garden a couple of years back and there were what looked for all the world like the harmless carpenter ants we have in the NorthWest.



So I'm working the soil with a trowel in my crocs, and all of sudden it felt like my toes were on fire. Or more like yellow jacket stings.

Turns out they were greenheads:



Everyone got a laugh about that... should have known better.

Best tip for when you're visiting here is- if you're not sure, don't touch. Not even the shrubs & trees.

[ejbrush]

29. Wow. I've been there. Repeatedly.

Soda Butte Campground? I know the place well. My old man, a schoolteacher hear in Wisconsin, had this thing about cool mountain air. Every summer, 'cept 1979, he'd load all of us up in whatever vehicle/camper combination we had at the time and head out to Cooke City for as long as possible. So, if I tally it up, I spent the summers of 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 (interesting times, what with the world burning up around us), 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, and 96 camping out near there. 88 and 90 were spent at Coulter Campground, two miles further east of Soda Butte. 90, 91 and 92 the old man wrangled a Campground Host postition at Soda Butte Campground, and my brother and I had a lucrative campfire wood concession from the Forest Service. I can say honestly I'm familiar with the area.
Saw one black bear once up there, during 88 when the fires were moving a lot of critters around. Honestly, I've seen more bears in my brother's driveway in Wisconsin than I ever saw up in Montana. Never saw one grizzly, though I did stumble across a fairly fresh set of tracks on a hike once. I decided to go back where I came from at that point.
Thing about Cooke City is that it is really not terribly wildernessy. The place was settled in the 1880s, and was a pretty bustling mining and logging area right though the 1960's. High traffic recreation area, lots of jeep trails, hiking, excellent fishing. Still some logging going on, mostly for local consumption. Couple of nice bars in town, some decent eating, a really cool general store. Soda Butte campground is about a mile east of town, adjacent to a massive tailings impoundment from the huge copper and gold mines that were in operation there. Soda Butte creek, which flows through the tailings, was basically sterile the entire time I remember it, though there were rumors of fish returning in the early 2000s. The campground itself is immediately below USH 212, which is a fairly busy road, and during the summer regularily fills to capacity most nights. Used to have 21 sites, but they expanded it to have a few more around 2004 I think.
It's a busy place during the summer. Not very bear friendly.

[uppityperson]

32. We camped there when my folks were freaked by the Yellowstone bear problem way back

It was close but not in the park so they thought it might be better. We were camped there or nearby when "night of the grizzly" was happening in Glacier Park. Which of course freaked my folks out more.