PORT ALBERNI, B.C. — A 13-year-old Vancouver Island boy escaped with scratches but no serious injuries after he was attacked by a young bear on Wednesday.

The RCMP says the boy was jogging on a paved walking path through a wooded area of Port Alberni when he encountered the bear.

Corporal Colin Banks says the bear — likely a two-year-old cub — got a hold of he boy with his paws and scratched him on the torso area.

Banks says the boy pushed him away with his right hand and may have poked the bear with a pocket knife he carried.

Conservation officers are now trying to catch the bear, and once they do, will determine whether the bear should be moved or destroyed.

via Teen boy survives bear attack in Port Alberni, B.C. – CTV News.

GIG HARBOR, WA – A woman survived what’s being described as a vicious black bear attack which happened on Sunday morning and now, her entire neighborhood is on edge, afraid the bear could attack again.

Officials say the drama began as the woman was walking her dog in front of a gate to an undeveloped subdivision.

The bear appeared on the side of the road and the woman’s dog ran after it. The woman then somehow got in between the bear and her dog and that’s when the bear attacked her.

The woman was later found by another person walking near the area and was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma. Officials report the victim is going to be okay, as is her dog.

The bear got away and officers say they need to find it since it attacked a human.

“Once the bear is captured, unfortunately because it did involve an attack on a human being, the bear will be euthanized,” explained Captain Dan Brinson with Washington State Fish and Wildlife.

Wildlife officers need to know if the bear suffers from disease and if that is why it attacked the woman.

via Woman recovering after Washington bear attack | KBZK.com | Z7 | Bozeman, Montana.

GIG HARBOR, Wash. —The bear that mauled a woman near Gig Harbor remains at large.The traps remain set Monday, and agents plan to kill the bear because it harmed a person, said Fish and Wildlife Department spokesman Craig Bartlett. Officials also want to test the animal for disease.The woman who was attacked Sunday while walking her dog is in satisfactory condition at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma.She doesnt want her name, age or the nature of her wounds released, said hospital spokeswoman Jacquie Goodwill. The woman is expected to fully recover and should be released in about a day.Wildlife Capt. Dan Brinson told The News Tribune of Tacoma on Sunday that the woman suffered a severe laceration to an arm and bites to her back.She was found by a couple driving by.Wildlife agents hunted for the bear with dogs Sunday, but they lost the scent in the rain. Two traps were set out, baited with doughnuts, maple syrup and vanilla.Bartlett called the attack “highly unusual” and says its surprising there would be two attacks within two months of each other in Washington.John Chelminiak, a Bellevue city councilman, was mauled Sept. 17 while walking his dogs at a vacation cabin near Lake Wenatchee. He suffered serious wounds and lost an eye but is recovering.The Gig Harbor woman surprised the bear while walking her dog along a frequent route, said Goodwill.The woman expresses her thanks to the police and medics who responded and to everyone who has expressed their prayers and concerns, Goodwill said.

via Local News | Bear that mauled Gig Harbor woman still out there | Seattle Times Newspaper.

DUBOIS — A Pennsylvania hunter who was attacked by a grizzly is recovering from injuries to his head, face, and arm, Wyoming wildlife officials said.

The man was hunting elk when he suddenly encountered the bear about 10 yards away Wednesday northwest of Dubois, said Wyoming Game and Fish bear management supervisor Mark Bruscino.

The grizzly bit the man in the head, face, and arm, he said. The hunter, who is not being named, fired a shot at the grizzly but officials think he may have missed.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported Saturday that the man had surgery Thursday to repair broken bones in his face.

“It was a surprise, sudden encounter within the realm of typical bear behavior,” Bruscino said. “In most cases, a bear startled at close range will run, but occasionally bears do make contact with the person.”

Wildlife officials will not try to capture or kill the grizzly because it was exhibiting natural behavior, he said.

This is the third time this year that a bear has attacked a hunter in Wyoming. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported that a shortage of natural food sources for the bears this year may be a reason for increased encounters between the animals and humans.

Earlier this month, an out-of-state hunter west of Cody shot and killed a grizzly bear after it him in the arm. The attack happened in the Jim Mountain area between Cody and Yellowstone National Park.

The hunter hiked three miles to a trailhead and drove himself to a hospital in Cody.

via Pennsylvania man recovering after Wyo. grizzly bear attack.

A Pennsylvania man was recovering at a Lander hospital Thursday after surgery to repair broken bones in his face caused by a grizzly bear attack northwest of Dubois.

“The guy was hunting elk when he encountered a bear at about ten yards,” said Wyoming Game and Fish bear management supervisor Mark Bruscino. “The bear bit him on the arm, the face and at least one time on the top of the head.”

The hunter told officials he thought the grizzly bear came out of a bed.

“It was a surprise, sudden encounter within the realm of typical bear behavior,” Bruscino said. “In most cases, a bear startled at close range will run, but occasionally bears do make contact with the person.”

The hunter fired one shot at the animal, but Bruscino said the man likely missed.

“We could not confirm the bear was shot,” he said.

Since the bear was likely exhibiting natural behavior, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will not try to capture or kill the animal, Bruscino said.

This latest incident marks the third bear/hunter encounter in Wyoming this year that has resulted in human injuries.

Bear conflicts have been on the increase this year because of a shortage of some natural food sources.

Two other human injuries from bear conflicts with hunters also occurred near Cody.

Earlier this month, a man hunting near Jim Mountain was attacked by a grizzly.

The bear bit him on the arm, and he walked three miles out of the woods and drove himself to town. Bear managers think he shot and killed the grizzly.

The other incident involved an archery hunter who received a “very, very minor abrasion” on Dead Indian Pass near Cody, officials said.

via Jackson Hole Daily | Hunter recovering after grizzly bites his face.

Chad Fortune says he can’t recall all of the details.

But he remembers lots of yelling (his own) and snarling (from the bears) and frantic flailing with fists and feet as he fought off two black bears among a group of four that attacked him as he was perched in a tree-stand bow hunting deer Saturday evening.

Fortune, who spoke to the Free Press this evening, said the fight ended in a draw, though he’s the only one that went to the hospital. He needed surgery and 40 stitches to repair a gash in his leg.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment officials described the attack, in Emmett County’s Bear Creek Township, as one of the weirdest outdoor events in memory.

They said it may have been an instance of a sow bear protecting her young. But Fortune said there was nothing childlike about any of the bears.

‘Those were full grown bears’

Fortune, a 21-year-old service adviser for a car dealership, called the Free Press today to dispute a characterization by state officials of his attackers as “a sow and three cubs.”

“They may have been related. But those were full grown bears,” Fortune said.

Fortune said he was annoyed by reports from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment that suggested the attack might have been attributed to his attendance at a family picnic earlier in the day, and the smell of fried food clinging to his clothes.

“I had different clothes on … hunting clothes. There was no smell of picnic on them,” he said. “I don’t know what happened.”

He described his evening this way:

Just before dusk, Fortune said he’d been in his tree stand at the edge of an alfalfa field and adjacent to a swamp for a relatively short time when the bears appeared “from out of nowhere.” He said he first saw two crossing in front of him from about 20 to 25 feet away. Then another pair, including the largest, appeared.

Fortune said he believes they came out of the swamp but couldn’t be sure.

At first, they appeared uninterested in him, but then picked up his scent on the trail he’d used to reach his tree stand.

Fortune said when two of the bears began to approach he shouted and yelled, which seemed to have little effect. Then, suddenly, one was clambering up the 8-inch diameter popple to which his stand was attached, just 15 feet off the ground. It was snarling. He was yelling some more.

Fortune said he didn’t have time to stand, had dropped his bow and just started flailing at the animal from a seated position, landing six to eight blows until the bear fell to the ground.

He scrambled to his feet as a second animal mounted an assault. Fortune said he was better prepared the second time and got in a good kick that precipitated the bear’s descent.

He was not attacked a third time as reported by the DNRE, Fortune said, and he didn’t know which of the four attacked.

Fortune said his triumph was tempered by the fact that two of the bears remained within sight as night fell. He kept yelling.

His cell phone was in his truck, but about two hours later his girlfriend and father, who knew the tree stand’s location, arrived. Fortune said he’s not sure, but he thinks the bears left when his backup arrived.

Sgt. Jim Gorno, of the Gaylord DNR office, said conservation officers believe Fortune, who was at a family picnic earlier Saturday, may have had the scent of fried chicken or pork on his boots or clothing, attracting the bruins.

Fortune of Walloon Lake underwent surgery at Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey and was later released.

Bears usually flee when they detect human scent, Gorno said, adding it was the weirdest case he’s seen in 24 years with the DNR.

He said the bears may have been used to humans or possibly even fed by people and lost some of their natural fear. Fortune said all four had been seen around a neighbor’s home earlier.

“Anytime you are dealing with a sow and her cubs, you have a potentially dangerous situation,” said DNRE Wildlife Chief Russ Mason.

Hunters may use a weapon to protect themselves against a bear attack, Gorno said, even though bears are not legal to hunt at this time of year. But a bow and arrow is a poor defense against a fast-moving bear.

Fortune said he isn’t sure he’ll be going back anytime soon, but if he does he plans to be more heavily armed.

via Deer hunter fights off bears in Bear Creek Township | freep.com | Detroit Free Press.

Wyoming Game & Fish and U.S. Fish & Wildlife officials are investigating the report of a bear-caused human injury west of Cody.

The report indicated that a hunter was injured early Thursday afternoon by a grizzly bear while hunting near Jim Mountain. The hunter received injuries to his right arm.

Initial information indicates the bear was shot and killed by the hunter after the attack occurred. The hunter was hunting with a partner, who was not in the immediate vicinity of the encounter.

After walking out three miles to the trailhead and driving himself to Cody, the hunter was admitted to West Park Hospital and remained in the hospital overnight for observation.

via Cody Enterprise: Home – Man allegedly kills griz after attack.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) ― The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says an elk hunter shot and killed a grizzly bear after the animal bit his arm.

The bear attack happened Thursday afternoon in the Jim Mountain area midway between Cody and Yellowstone National Park.

The man was able to hike out three miles and drive himself to the hospital in Cody where he remained overnight.

Game and Fish spokesman Dennie Hammer says the injuries weren’t severe. He says Game and Fish and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating and the identity of the out-of-state man isn’t being released.

At least 38 grizzly bears have died in the Yellowstone ecosystem this year. Grizzlies are protected as a threatened species and the mortality count can affect their status under the Endangered Species Act.

via NW Wyo. Hunter Kills Griz That Bit His Arm – cbs4denver.com.

SEATTLE — A man mauled by a black bear near his vacation cabin in central Washington says he felt he had to stand and fight the animal to survive the attack.

Wearing a hospital gown and bandages, Bellevue City Councilman John Chelminiak (CHEHL’-mihn-ak), 57, talked to reporters Wednesday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he has had five surgeries since the Sept. 17 mauling at Lake Wenatchee.

Chelminiak says he wouldn’t let the bear keep him on the ground and he kept forcing his way back up as the bear bit and clawed him.

“I vividly remember being bitten on the head and the sound that makes as her teeth were going into my head and running along the skull,” he said. “It was just a horrendous fight.”

He made it back to his driveway where his wife found him and their daughter called 911.

When Chelminiak was flown to the hospital in Seattle UW Medicine plastic surgeon Matthew Klein said parts of his face and scalp were hanging off. Doctors had to remove his left eye.

Wildlife agents tracked and killed the black bear a few hours after the attack. They said it was an older female, thin at 148 pounds and in poor condition.

“I do remember her hitting me in my left eye and how that felt. There was just a bright flash of light,” Chelminiak said.

Except for the loss of vision, Dr. Klein said Chelminiak should make a full recovery after two or three more surgeries. He praised Chelminiak for his spirit, will and determination to recover.

Chelminiak, his wife, Lynn Semler, and 11-year-old daughter had gone to their vacation cabin that Friday. Chelminiak says he had taken their dogs for a walk when he heard a rustle in the brush and the sound of the bear rushing him.

They wrestled for a time with the bear clawing him. During a break, he was able to reach his driveway where the bear pounced again on the dogs. He was able to pull them free and they went back to the cabin.

The bruin attacked again, and at one point, when the bear bit Chelminiak in the abdomen, he was able to deliver his best blow with a knee.

At some point the bear stopped. “I had no idea why,” Chelminiak said.

Soaked in blood he tried to move up the driveway and kept yelling, “Bear! Bear! Call 911!”

Chelminiak says he contemplated whether he would make it or not and decided to keep yelling.

His wife didn’t recognized her husband’s voice at first and thought it was a neighbor. When she went outside and found Chelminiak, “I was pretty frightened because he didn’t look like himself,” Semler said at the news conference.

Chelminiak thanked everyone who helped him, especially the medical staff at Harborview.

“With the extent of the injury, it’s a miracle I made it through,” he said.

Chelminiak was elected to the Bellevue City Council in 2003. He previously worked for both the King and Snohomish county councils and once worked as a reporter and manager at KIRO radio in Seattle.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Related articles

Politician John Chelminiak blinded in fight with starving black bear

Daily Mail – 20 hours ago

Wash. state bear-mauling victim describes attack

The Associated Press – 1 day ago

Northwest News: Obama to stump in Oregon for Kitzhaber; Bear attack victim …

OregonLive.com – 13 hours ago

More coverage (1) »

Add News to your Google Homepage

via The Associated Press: Wash. state bear-mauling victim describes attack.

FRENCHTOWN, Mont. – A Montana woman fended off a charging bear on her back porch early Thursday by using the first weapon she could reach — a piece of zucchini.

The woman was stirred after midnight by a tussle in the backyard of her home near Frenchtown, Missoula County Sheriff’s Lt. Rich Maricelli said. She went to investigate and found a 200-pound black bear attacking one of her two dogs, a 12-year-old collie.

The woman stood at her back door and screamed to divert the bear’s attention from the dog. She told police the bear then charged her.

“The bear growled and was very aggressive and tried to come inside of her back door,” Maricelli said. “She was able to stop the pursuing bear by improvising.”

The bear took a swipe at her with its paw and tore her jeans. The woman jumped back and grasped the nearest object on her kitchen counter inside the doorway — a 12-inch-long zucchini she had harvested earlier from her garden.

She flung the zucchini at the bear from a distance she estimated to be 3 feet. The vegetable bopped the bruin on the top of its head and the animal fled, Maricelli said.

State wildlife officials were searching for the bear on Thursday. Radio station KGVO in Missoula first reported on the attack.

The woman received only minor scratches that did not require medical attention, though she was going to get a tetanus shot on Thursday as a precaution, Maricelli said. Police did not release her name.

The woman also planned to take her collie to the veterinarian. The dog didn’t appear to have any bite wounds, but was a bit shaky on Thursday, Maricelli said.

“I don’t know if it tried to bite him, but it rolled him around a little,” he said.

via Montana woman fends off bear attack with zucchini | Standard-Examiner – Ogden, Layton, Brigham, Weber, Davis, Sports, Entertainment, Dining, Utah Jazz, Real Salt Lake, Ogden Raptors, Top of Utah News.