An attack like this can put residents in fear and get bears killed. I feel the DNR has a duty to the public to do a thorough investigation so people can understand what happened and know how unusual it is.
10-pt buck
The most important piece of evidence is what happened at the bear’s den to start this. I don’t believe the bear was wandering aimlessly because it couldn’t hibernate. I say that because, after the attacks, the bear found a place to curl up in a hibernating position and was sleeping so soundly that it didn’t respond to approaching people crunching through the snow until they were within 20 yards.
Gray fox
That makes me wonder what happened at the bear’s den to put her in such a defensive mindset. I’m urging the DNR to back-track the bear to its den before snow covers the evidence. Today, one of the victims told me he had been seeing a lot of wolf tracks daily in the area. That makes me wonder if a wolf pack found the den. Did wolves drive the bear from her den and perhaps even attack her? (A wolf pack did that very thing to 16-year-old Female 320 back in 1972.) Would the den show wolf tracks and perhaps sign of a scuffle? I can only imagine how scared and defensive the current bear would be when she wandered into a yard and faced another aggressive, territorial canine, which she attacked. Compound that with the landowner jumping onto her back to save the dog. She defensively bit the man a couple times and moved on down the lake shore. Was she then feeling defensive against both canines and humans? A hundred and fifty yards farther, she encounters another man and tears his clothes. When the man’s brother distracts her, she turns on him, gets him down, and bites him severely on the right arm until the first brother hits her on the head with a shovel. With a particularly hard blow, the victim said she rolled her eyes back and moved off. Later, officials track her down, find her curled up, and understandably shoot her. I’m urging the DNR to skin her carcass and look for bite marks, especially on the hind quarters, for evidence of a possible skirmish with a wolf pack.
Chickadee
The better we understand this unusual situation the better we will know the mind of this bear. The situation reminds me of an attack by a grizzly after officials had hazed and tranquilized the grizzly to make it fear people. As the bear awoke from the tranquilizer, a hiker came past and was attacked and either killed or severely mauled. Fear, hazing, and teaching bears to be unusually fearful of people can make bears more dangerous, not less. Fear is what causes most bites by bears, just as it does with dogs. By contrast, where bears have been fed and habituated by people here in Eagles Nest Township since 1961, there have been no incidents like this.
Red squirrelI hope the DNR follows through on my suggestions. There has been little snow since the incident, so back-tracking would be easy. Snow is in the forecast, so there is a need to act promptly for a full understanding of this incident and bear behavior in general.
Out the window, it was the usual faces that make one feel at home.
To end on a light note, The Bear Facts and Fun Group shared some fun at https://www.facebook.com/notes/bff-education/a-visit-from-santa-ducky-as-told-by-ted-bear/1154498178014333
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center