COVINGTON, Ga. — A 9-month-old baby is in critical condition at an Atlanta hospital after she was attacked by two raccoons while sleeping in her crib in the same room as her mother.

Authorities say they are investigating how the raccoons got inside the home and whether the family was keeping the animals as pets.

Newton County Sheriff’s Lt. Tyrone Oliver says authorities arrived about 4 a.m. on Wednesday after the mother called 911 to say the baby had been attacked. She was bitten severely on her head and on other parts of her body.

Oliver says the raccoons were outside the family’s house when deputies arrived, and that one was aggressive and fatally shot by a deputy. The other raccoon was given to animal control to be tested for rabies.

via Raccoons attack Georgia baby in her crib.

ACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A newborn baby is dead after being attacked by a pit bull in a Jacksonville home.

The newborn died at a hospital. Authorities have not released the baby’s name.

Department of Children and Families spokesman John Harrell says the state agency and police are investigating whether the baby was being supervised and whether the dog previously showed aggressive behavior.

City animal control officials say the young dog has been euthanized.

In a separate case Monday night, Manatee County deputies fatally shot a pit bull that charged them after attacking a 5-year-old boy in Bradenton. Authorities say the boy tried to climb a tree to get away but the dog bit into his arm and tried to pull him down.

Neither the boy’s name nor condition were released.

via Fla. newborn dies after pit bull attack at home – Florida AP – MiamiHerald.com.

An elderly Vincent woman is in critical condition after she fell outside her home Monday, was mauled by a wild dog or coyote, and not found until 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said the woman’s small dog was found attacked and killed outside the home at 2250 Moody Ridge Road, Vincent.

The homeowner, Julia Stevens, 75, was transported by Little Hocking Volunteer Fire Department squad to Camden Clark Memorial Hospital after she was found by a home-health aide.

“It appears her health concerns are more from exposure than from any of the bite marks,” Mincks said.

An officer’s report indicates the woman had bites on her lower left leg and her upper body. Police believe she may have fallen from her mobility scooter when it became stuck in a rut outside her home.

Mincks said the woman likely spent the entire night outside in the cold and rainy weather. The temperature early Tuesday dipped down to 41 degrees.

Washington County Dog Warden Steve Strahler said deputies are expected to follow up with Stevens to learn more about the incident, which will help him determine what his role will be.

“My understanding is that she was unconscious and unable to tell anyone exactly what happened,” Strahler said. “If we are able to determine it was a coyote, we’ll contact (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) and assist them in trapping it.”

Strahler said there have been no reports of dogs at large in the area of the attack.

“We had a few a while back, but those have all been taken care of,” he said.

Strahler said he asked officers to describe the bite marks.

“It sounds like a coyote,” he said. “The measurement between the canines (teeth) was about an inch, and anything an inch or smaller is usually a coyote. Dogs are usually an inch-and-a-half to two-inches (apart).”

The police report did not indicate the breed of the dog that was killed.

“I wasn’t out there, but my understanding is that it was a small dog,” Strahler said.

via Woman in critical condition after wild animal attack – MariettaTimes.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Ohio, Community Information – The Marietta Times.

Williamsburg, MO (KSDK) — Even if there are a few scrapes between them, John Reynolds insist his dogs are friendly. All 17 of them. All pit bulls.

“They were like best buddies,” Reynolds says of his father the 84 year old Rev. John Reynolds and one of the pit bulls. “My dad would sit there and feed him off his spoon. They slept together.”

Reynolds says no one knew his dogs’ nature more than his father who owned the home and property where John raises the dogs.

Which makes what he found on Wednesday night, October 13th, even harder to understand.

“I could see that he’d been attacked by something,” Reynolds recalls.

He came home that night and found his father on the ground in the pen with severe bite marks. He did not survive the attack.

The sheriff’s department says the dogs were on the loose but, with the exception of one dog who was wounded, showed few signs of an attack given the severity of Rev. Reynolds’ injuries.

“They think that my dad might have been out here and they might have been playing or rough-housing and it got out of control,” Reynolds says of his conversations with investigators. “But I just can’t, I don’t believe it.”

He admits it’s only speculation, but Reynolds believes stray dogs or possibly even a mountain lion may have attacked his father and his pit bulls.

While extremely rare, the Sheriff says deputies have taken reports on, and had sightings of, mountain lions in Callaway County. The official report on Rev. Reynolds’ death only says his injuries were consistent with an animal attack.

“I know that there [are] a lot of people out there that are dead set against pit bulls and I’m sure they’re going to try to use this to get their point across,” says Reynolds, defending his dogs. “I know he wouldn’t like it,” he says of his late father.

The investigation is ongoing, but the Sheriff says there won’t be any charges since the property owner has passed away. The dogs won’t be seized because the county doesn’t have the resources to handle that

via Rev. John Reynolds found dead with severe bite marks | ksdk.com | St. Louis, MO.

Kendra Rutter was attacked by a mountain lion when she pulled off a rural road to check on a car problem. The attack happened on County Road 51 in Divide.Posted: 10:13 PM Oct 18, 2010Reporter: Rick MontanezEmail Address: rmontanez@kktv.com PLAY VIDEO: Teen Attacked By Mountain LionStory 0 CommentsFont Size: Kendra Rutter was attacked by a mountain lion when she pulled off a rural road to check on a car problem. The attack happened on County Road 51 in Divide.

The aggressive cat attacked from behind. “I didnt think Id make it out with my life,” Rutter said.Cuts on her shoulder and leg, along with torn, blood-stained jeans are raw reminders of how close Rutter came to being killed.She says the mountain lion was just a few feet tall, coming up to her knees. “Its a wild animal, I was in his territory, in my opinion,” Rutter said.She was coming home from babysitting just after 1 a.m. Sunday, she pulled off the road because she thought she had a flat. When she got out to check her tire the cat pounced out of the shadows.”I turned and jumped and I got a paw in my shoulder,” Rutter said.The mountain lion knocked the teen into the street. As the cat paced back and forth, she had no other choice than to fight back.

So, she kicked the mountain lion in the head.”My knee still kinda hurts,” Rutter said. “Im pretty sure it was right behind the jaw, I waited til he was close enough to me so I wouldnt miss.”The cat ran off and Rutter got in her car and raced home. She told 11 News fighting back was pure instinct. “Its what you learn from growing up here, the animals were here first,” she said.The Division of Wildlife said this was just a minor attack. The DOW has set a trap to catch the mountain lion. If caught, it will have to be put down since it attacked a human.The DOW recommends fighting back if you encounter a mountain lion.Over the past decade there have been five people attacked and injured by a mountain lion.

via 11 Exclusive: Teen Attacked By Mountain Lion.

Tampa, FL — Jacob Hyatt, 8, was playing outside his home this afternoon when he was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake.

The boy says he was bitten by the snake when he moved a rock to grab a rope that was hanging in the tree. He was transported by ground to University Community Hospital where he is listed in good condition.

University Community Hospital tells us that Jacob is their 8th patient this year that is being treated for a snake bite. Last year, the hospital set a record by treating 15 patients.

Jacob is expected to be released later this evening.

via 8-year-old bitten by pygmy rattlesnake | Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota | WTSP.com 10 News.

Orion Township — An Orion Township man walking with his beagle in the woods behind his home was bitten by an Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Michigan’s only venomous snake.

Sgt. Mark Buffa of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the bite happened around 6:45 p.m. The man was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

“He was treated by an anti-venom we received from the Detroit Zoo, and released,” said hospital spokeswoman Karen LeDuc.

Buffa said the beagle was bitten first and when the man “came up to investigate, he got bit.”

The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is found in a variety of wetlands and woods throughout the Lower Peninsula. It is the only Michigan snake with segmented rattles on the end of its tail and elliptical (“cat like”) vertical pupils in the eyes. The neck is narrow, contrasting with the wide head and body and the head appears triangular in shape, according to www.tamssunshinehouse.com’s page on Michigan snakes. It usually feeds on small rodents and frogs.

The incident Friday marks the second rattlesnake attack in a month. A dog was bitten by a rattlesnake in late September and also was treated by the anti-venom from the Detroit Zoo.

via Oakland County man, dog bitten by rattlesnake | detnews.com | The Detroit News.

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio – A warning for local pet owners. A woman was bitten by a coyote while the wild animal tried to attack her dog.

“It felt like screws going into my foot, if you just hammered screws, then it pulled it down, and I was screaming,” described Laura Bebsz.

Bebsz says about three weeks ago, she was bitten by a coyote on the back deck of her Strongsville home.

“The animal comes up and I’m like…what is that?” she said.

Among other medical problems, Bebsz has a broken foot and must use a wheelchair. Bebsz says about 10:30 on a Saturday evening, she rolled outside to let out her puppy named “P-J”, a Shar Pei mix.

“It came for the dog and I went ‘oh my God,’” she said.

Laura says she first thought the animal was a dog, but realized it was a coyote and tried to protect P-J.

“When it came up, it went to grab the puppy ’cause the puppy was here, I was picking him up, so when I went to pick him up, I put my foot up and I think he thought it was my puppy, but it was a foot and it grabbed the foot,” Bebsz explained.

She was able to toss P-J into the house, but as she backed up her wheelchair, it fell over. Laura believes the loud noise scared off the coyote.

“I’m afraid to even go outside,” she said.

Bebsz says there has been a coyote problem in her neighborhood for years. Her husband collected deer and cat bones near their home, believing the animals may be coyote victims.

“You can hear deer out here screaming, they sound just like babies when the coyotes are killing them,” she said.

Laura Bebsz and her dog are fine, although she says she must go through a series of painful rabies shots.

Strongsville animal warden Mike Roth says there are a lot of coyote sightings because the city is surrounded by the Metroparks. Roth says if coyotes are deemed a nuisance, they can hunt and shoot them, only if the location is appropriate.

He says he has little luck in trapping them live and says he does not put out snares because there are too many domestic animals in the city and fears harming or killing someone’s pet.

Roth adds that this is the first coyote attack on a person ever reported in Strongsville.

via Local Woman Attacked By Coyote – WJW.

John Chelminiak, 57, a city council employee in Bellevue, Washington, was mauled by the black bear at the end of the driveway to his holiday home in Lake Wenatchee, Washington.

He had been out walking his dogs when the bear struck.

His wife Lynn Semler called 911 and said: “My husband has been attacked by a bear. He’s at the bottom of the driveway.”

In the background Mr Chelminiak could be heard saying he was dying.

He suffered wounds to the upper part of his body, and underwent surgery in Seattle where he is recovering.

His wife, who ran to help him, said: “I thought at first it was a black dog, and then just a couple strides down I realised it was a bear and John had been yelling bear, bear.”

The female black bear, thought to be about 10-years-old and without cubs, was killed a few hours after the attack.

via Man cried ‘I’m dying’ during black bear attack – Telegraph.

MCMINN COUNTY (WRCB) –  An 85-year old woman is dead Saturday after being mauled by the family pet.  According to police it took bullets from 2 deputies and a neighbor to finally subdue the dog.

“It jumped out of the car and I actually helped her get it back in the car,” says neighbor Brandon Russell, describing an encounter he had with the dog.  “It was a real friendly dog.”

But Saturday at 151 County 492 in McMinn County, a pit-bull that had been part of the family for 9-years attacked and killed.

“I talked to the family members today, and the woman who owns the home,” says Russell.  “I told her I was very sorry about what happened.”

It was the 85-year-old mother of the woman who owns the home that was attacked.  Family members told Channel 3 off camera that she lives at the home.  However, the dog is usually kept outside so the elderly woman was not used to being around the pet.

Family members told police they were working in the yard Saturday morning when the attack happened inside.

“The daughter of the deceased came running out and got a neighbor,”  says detective, Eric Allman, with the McMinn County Sheriff’s Office..  “She gave him a gun and told him to shoot the dog.  All that did was back the dog away a little.”

Family members say they believe noise from construction work to the roof is what caused the dog to become aggressive enough to attack.

“When the first deputy arrived he went inside,” says Allman.  “The dog was still aggressive at that point.  He fired on the dog.”

It took two police officers and many rounds to finally kill the animal.  Russell says when he talked to family members soon after the incident they were beside themselves with grief.

“The daughter said she blames herself but it wasn’t her fault,” the neighbor says.

Police say every effort was made to rescue the 85-year-old, but she had already succumbed to her injuries.

The McMinn County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.  Detective Allman says he doesn’t expect any charges to be filed.

——————————————

MCMINN COUNTY, TN (WRCB)– McMinn County Sheriff’s Officers responded to a tragic incident Saturday morning after an 85-year-old female was killed by a family-owned pit bull.

Police say Mattie Daugherty was killed after her nine-year-old pit bull attacked her inside her home around 11:45. The family told police that the dog would not allow anyone to approach Daugherty and that a neighbor had attempted to shoot it.

Officers Randy Gabrel and Tim Davis entered the home and also fired their weapons several times in attempt to rescue the victim.

Officer Gabrel risked his own safety and was able to remove the victim from the animal, and additional shots were fired by Officer Davis to finally subdue the dog.

Although every effort had been made to rescue the Daugherty, it was apparent that she had already passed away due to her severe wounds.

MCSO officers and detectives secured the scene and investigated the incident. No charges have been filed.

“This is a sad and tragic incident that bears little explanation,” says Sheriff Guy. “It was an unfortunate accident involving an animal that the family had owned for many years and had never had problems with. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they go through this difficult time.”

via McMinn County woman killed in pit bull attack – WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & Sports.

The pain is unbearable. He does not much feel like talking, but Darian Baehler knows he is lucky to have his left foot. A rattlesnake bit his leg not once, but twice. He has had two surgeries, so far, to relieve pressure from the swelling. He was moved from intensive care to intermediate care at University Medical Center Brackenridge Tuesday afternoon.

Darian’s father, Todd Baehler, said, “It’s just unbelievable. I could not believe a snake bite could do this much damage. He’s going to be in the hospital another week or so. He’s going to have physical therapy, he’s going to have plastic surgery, he’s going to have a lot of problems.”

It happened Friday, when Baehler and a group of kids were headed home down a wooded path near Southwest Regional Park in Williamson County. His sister Nicole says it got dark all of the sudden. One of their friends unknowingly stepped over a rattlesnake. Soon they all knew.

“It was really loud,” Nicole Baehler said. “Like, you know, like moraccas or whatever, that’s what it sounded like.

Game warden Turk Jones says dusk and dark in the summer are prime time for snakes.

“They’re gonna be out in the evening, 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, the time those kids were walking through here,” Jones said.

Six-year-old Carson Perreault was also in the group. “I wouldn’t have survived it,” Perrault said

Doctors agree, which strikes a chord with Todd Baehler.

“That was scary to me because people walk their dogs back there. People ride their bikes back there,” Baehler said.

Doctors at UMC Brackenridge say they see 40-50 snake bites a year, mostly during the summer months. They say rattlesnake anti-venom runs about $2,000 a vial. Baehler had to have 33 vials. Doctors say that the anti-venom can mean the difference between keeping and losing a limb, and in some cases, life and death. That is why they say anyone who is the victim of a snake bite, no matter how minor, should seek emergency medical treatment.

via Teenager fighting to keep his foot after rattlesnake bites | kvue.com | KVUE News | Austin, TX | Breaking News.

A Sneads man is in critical condition after being bitten four times by an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake Sunday outside his home on River Road.

Frank Shelfer was in the critical care unit at Southeast Alabama Medical Center as of Tuesday.

His mother, Minnie Lee Shelfer, said he was bitten just after he walked outside to get his first breath of fresh air after gall stone surgery last Friday.

“He had picked up a limb and went over to put in on a pile of other limbs outside, and he said he was bitten when he took a step to lay it on the pile,” Mrs. Shelfer said.

He doesn’t have much sensation in his left leg, due to an old injury, and he didn’t know he’d been bitten until he looked down, his mother said.  According to Jackson County Fire Rescue Chief Tony Wesley, the four bites were to Shelfer’s left foot and ankle. Shelfer’s mother said she thinks she remembers her son saying he saw the snake’s fangs sliding off his shoe as the reptile departed.

Once he realized he was bitten, he did what he could to keep the poison from spreading through his body as he went for help.

“He hopped on one foot to the door of the house and called out to his wife (Lynne),”  his mother said

He was flown to Southeast. From the ambulance that took him to the helicopter, his wife called the church, where his mother was attending services, and let her know about the bite.

His mother said the church members been praying for her son ever since.

He is being treated with anti-venom, his mother said, and as of Tuesday was still unable to move about. But he was able to talk with friends and family.

It is not known what prompted the bite. Herpetology expert Paul Moler said it’s possible that Shelfer, not seeing the snake, may have stepped on it.

Until his retirement, Moler led the herpetology research section for the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Conservation Commission in Gainesville. He still volunteers for the section and for other departments at the agency.

He said the best defense against snakebite is being watchful and careful.

The Eastern diamondback can be found anywhere in its home region — from southern North Carolina to Florida, and west to Louisiana, according to National Geographic. It prefers open fields with plenty of seeds for its typical prey, like rabbits, rats and squirrels.

They don’t usually like heavily wooded areas with lots of canopy, Moler said, because there’s less seed there to attract the prey. Still, he’s seen them there, too.

“Just be aware of your surroundings,” Moler said. “Watch where you put your feet and hands. The snakes don’t really want to run into you at all. But when they’re feeling attacked, they’re going to do what they can to defend themselves. Frequently, their bites are dry bites, where they don’t even inject any venom. They’re basically trying to say, ‘Don’t tread on me.’  The other thing you can do is wear boots that protect the ankles in high grass, but the most important thing is to watch where you’re going. Keep your eyes glued to the ground.”

Moler said there are many myths that don’t hold up when it comes to avoiding snakes. For instance, wearing bells on one’s shoelaces won’t probably have any effect.

“Snakes are essentially deaf, but they feel vibrations and they probably know you’re there anyway,” Moler said. “But if they feel like they’re hidden and safe, it is rare for them to bite. It’s only when they feel threatened that you have to worry.”

If bitten, he said “the best first aid is your car keys” when in a remote area with no one close by to call for help. Minimize movement, but drive to a medical facility as quickly as possible.

The field remedies once regularly recommended — like tourniquets and cuts in the skin to suck out the venom — can be almost as dangerous as the bite itself and leave the victim maimed for life, Moler said.

via wmbb.com – Sneads Man in Critical Condition From Snake Bites.

A 4-year-old boy was critically injured in a dog attack inside a house where he was staying overnight in Kansas City.

The boy’s mother was staying at the house in the 3500 block of Terrace Street to clean it and she brought her son.

She told police she was sleeping about 2:30 a.m. when the sound of dogs barking inside the home woke her up. She went to see what was causing the barking and found two large Rottweiler dogs surrounding her son. At least one dog was biting her son. She pushed the dogs away and forced them outside. She then picked up her son, who had suffered bite marks over his entire body, and ran to a neighbor’s house, where she called 911.

An ambulance took the boy to a hospital, where he was listed in critical, but stable condition. A doctor told police it was the worst animal attack injuries he had ever seen.

Police were still investigating what caused the dogs to maul the boy. Police could not reach animal control officers in Kansas City so animal control officers from North Kansas City took the dogs away.

via 4-year-old critically hurt in dog attack – KansasCity.com.

Additional information is being released in connection with a fatal bear attack which happened near Yellowstone Park on Wednesday morning.

State wildlife officials say that two people were injured and one person was killed in separate bear attacks that occurred at the Soda Butte Campground.

Park County Sheriff’s Department dispatch records show that a Park County Sheriff’s deputy and a Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game warden were dispatched to the area at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and Investigators found a man dead at the campground about two hours later.

Two other people, a male and a female, were reportedly bitten and later treated at a hospital in Cody, Wyoming. The identities of the victims have not been released.

FWP officials, in cooperation with the Gallatin National Forest, the National Park Service and the Park County Sherriff’s Office spent much of the day at the site collecting forensic evidence of the attacks.

Officials from the agencies plan to hold a community meeting at the Cooke City Chamber of Commerce on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the incident.

“The camp sites are being combed for evidence,” said FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim “We’re not certain if it was one bear or more than one, and we haven’t determined if it was a grizzly or black bear. We’ve extracted DNA samples from evidence found on site. This will help us identify the bear or bears involved, once captured.”

Officials say that tents were ripped or damaged during the attacks but no food was found in the tent of the dead man or in the tents of the two injured victims. “Everyone appeared to have followed all food storage regulations,” Aasheim said.

The Soda Butte Campground, the nearby Chief Joseph and Colter campgrounds, also in the Gallatin National Forest, are closed.

“This is not typical bear behavior. It’s odd. It’s not normal,” Aasheim said.

FWP officials have set a number of traps in anticipation of the animal’s return on Wednesday night.

via KPAX – Missoula, Montana – News, Weather, Sports – - KPAX Home Missoula News, Missoula Weather, Missoula Sports, Montana News, Montana Weather, Montana Sports | Separate bear attacks blamed for fatality, injuries.

A 12-year-old girl died Tuesday after falling into floodwaters near Flagstaff, Arizona, authorities said.

Shaelyn Wilson had gone to see runoff from a flash flood around 2 p.m., according to the Coconino Sheriff’s Department. A younger sister ran back to tell the father that Shaelyn had fallen into a wash.

The family searched the area near where the girl fell and several agencies also took part in the search, according to Kelli Most, administrative specialist with the sheriff’s department.

The girl was found about a third of a mile from where she went into the water, and her father performed CPR until paramedics arrived. She was pronounced dead at Flagstaff Medical Center.

A massive wildfire last month made the area susceptible to flooding, said Most. “There’s just no greenery there” to prevent runoff, she said. The blaze charred 15,000 acres.

Several small streams pushed over their banks, and flash floods were threatening homes, according to CNN affiliate KPHO.

via Arizona girl, 12, dies in flooding – CNN.com.

Depending on where you are in the Rockies this year, the annual summer bear season could mean black-bear sightings in your front yard or a near-death experience while looking through the jaws of a hungry bear.

Already, the list of bear attacks across the Rockies this summer is beginning to mount.

On Saturday morning, a bear attacked a homeless man sleeping in Durango near the Animas River. The man survived, but the bear didn’t after Colorado Division of Wildlife officials turned their guns on it after the attack. A necropsy of the bear’s carcass was completed at CSU.

Last Thursday, a bear broke into a home in Bailey, southwest of Denver, biting a man.

Other bears have been sighted plundering porches and backyards in Livermore and Rist Canyon.

In the past month, bears have turned outright hostile in New Mexico, where they’ve developed an affinity for tents and a taste for the people sleeping in them.

“They’re coming down and acting kind of aggressive right now,” said Dan Williams, spokesman for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

New Mexico wildlife officials killed a bear at the end of June after it jumped on a tent and took a swipe at the man sleeping in it at Philmont Boy Scout Ranch, a 137,000-acre camping and backpacking ranch just south of the Colorado state line west of Raton.

There were two more incidents there: The same day, another bear was found with a goat in its mouth, and a Philmont staffer killed it. On Wednesday, a bear bit a 14-year-old Boy Scout through his tent, leaving a deep gash in his head.

“It kind of peeled back the scalp there,” Williams said.

Both campers who were attacked were carefully following strict bear-safety protocols in place at Philmont, he said.

Those incidents followed another in June when a bear swatted a man tent-camping in the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque.

But all the ursine nastiness in some parts of the West doesn’t mean there’s anything unusual going on this year, particularly in Colorado and Wyoming.

Bear activity is quite normal throughout Colorado, DOW spokesman Tyler Baskfield said.

The bears’ habitat is normal and healthy, he said, and there is no sign of increased bear sightings or attacks in any localized area, he said.

“We haven’t noticed anything that is different than we’ve seen in years when there’s decent, natural food,” said Ken Wilson, a professor of wildlife and conservation biology at Colorado State University.

“A bear has been into some trash cans in Rist Canyon,” he said. “One bear can decide it’s going to get into something, (but) it’s not all of them.”

Few bears have been seen at all in southern Wyoming, where wildlife officials consider black-bear habitat and natural food supply excellent, said Al Langston, spokesman for the Wyoming Department of Game and Fish.

In New Mexico, dry weather hurt the bears’ food supply and dried out the forbs and grass that usually get black bears through the spring.

The lack of food there is so dire that this year’s number of bear attacks hasn’t been seen in New Mexico for almost a decade, Williams said.

There are plenty of things homeowners and backcountry adventurers can do to keep bears away.

For people camping in the mountains, store food in bear-resistant containers away from your sleeping area, Wilson said.

The best way to keep plundering bears away from homes is to keep birdseed, trash and other potential food sources inside where bears can’t have easy access to them, Baskfield said.

“There’s no reason to feed birds this time of year” because natural bird food is plentiful, he said.

And, he warned city dwellers, just because you might live in Fort Collins doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep your home bear resistant.

“We get bears who wander into Fort Collins on a regular basis,” he said.

via List of bear attacks this summer grows | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan.

(NECN: Kenneth Craig, Rindge, N.H.) – A mother and her nine-year-old son were struck by lightning Friday night while heading to their lakeside vacation home.

A bolt of lightning ripped through their campsite, creating a terrifying experience.

“It was scary,” Bonnie Mann said. “I couldn’t move my legs. I was paralyzed for a period of time.”

The two are lucky to be alive after being struck at the Rindge, N.H. Vacation home. It was an almost one-in-a-million chance that they were struck Friday night.

“It was a huge vibrating feeling,” Bonnie Mann said. “[It lasted] long enough to wonder when it was going to stop.”

She said they held each other as they waited for help. Simon asked his mother if they would make it out alive.

The mother and son, who were there with family vacationing from Switzerland, were taken to area hospitals and quickly released. They said all they have to show for their adventure are a few superficial burns and blisters. They are thankful for the way it ended — without serious damage.

The family has about a week left before they had back home. They said they will not be taking any chances with summer storms again.

via Woman struck by lightning, momentarily paralyzed.

Lincoln Park — A 5-year-old boy was found dead this morning in his home in the 1500 block of Empire, believed to have been mauled to death by a dog or dogs in the home.

Police Chief Thomas Karnes said the mother of Kyle Holland called police around 9:30 a.m. today when she found her son dead in an upstairs bedroom. The mother, Karnes said, told police she put her son to bed around 10:30-11 p.m. Sunday. He is believed to have been deceased for several hours before police arrived. Authorities described his wounds as “significant.”

“It was sometime during the night that this had taken place,” Karnes said. “It appears the child was attacked by an animal.”

Authorities took two dogs from the home — a 35-pound Labrador mix and the other, a 90-pound male dog described by the owner as a husky/German shepherd mix. The dogs belong to the live-in boyfriend of the boy’s mother.

“It’s been described as a wolf hybrid, but the owner denies that,” Karnes said.

Police have ruled the death a homicide. An autopsy will be performed Tuesday. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (313) 381-1800.

via Dog attack suspected in 5-year-old boy’s death | detnews.com | The Detroit News.

A 51-year-old Bailey man suffered bite wounds from a bear inside his home early Thursday morning.

The man discovered the bear in his basement and approached it in hopes of getting the animal to leave. The 320-pound, male bear was later shot and killed.

According to wildlife officers, the family heard sounds in their kitchen shortly after midnight on Thursday morning and quickly determined that a bear had entered the home. The man attempted to monitor the bear’s whereabouts and was bitten as the bear tried to get past him.

A Division of Wildlife officer, responding alongside deputies from the Park County Sheriff’s Office, located the bear outside the home and killed it.

“The instructions we give our wildlife officers are clear: Public safety is our first priority,” said Reid DeWalt, area wildlife manager. “Bears that enter homes are a threat to public safety. When we’re dealing with aggressive or habituated wildlife, people come first.”

The victim was taken to Swedish Medical Center in Littleton and released Thursday morning.

Most conflicts between people and bears involve some sort of food source. In this case, wildlife officers said there was an open door to a garage containing accessible trash and a refrigerator. In addition, officers reported that the door from the garage into the home appeared not to be latching correctly. Bears can smell food from miles away, be it birdseed, pet food, a greasy grill grate or accessible refuse. Bears that become habituated to people will seek out such food sources.

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. In most cases, bears avoid confrontations with people.

Aggressive bear attacks are rare, but encounters like the one in Bailey 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.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife recommends the following measures to avoid harmful wildlife interactions:

• If a wild animal enters your home, leave and call for help. Animals that feel cornered or threatened are a danger to humans and pets.

• 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. To reduce residual odor, periodically clean garbage cans with hot water and chlorine bleach, or by burning trash residue in metal cans. Store trash in a bear-proof enclosure. Contact the Division of Wildlife for designs.

• Lock all ground-level windows and doors. Bears are smart — when they learn that homes contain food, they may try to enter.

• If you have pets, do not store their food outside or feed them outside. Clean your 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.

via Bear injures man in Park County | SummitDaily.com.

NBC — A Colorado man was almost killed when a 320-pound bear snuck in to his house and attacked him. Jack Hansell has the photo to prove it.

In a small town like Bailey, big news tends to travel fast, especially when the story is as bizarre as Jack Hansell’s.

Around 10:30 Wednesday night, Jack’s son heard something moseying around in the kitchen. Then he saw it.

Jack says “so he starts yelling, ‘there’s a bear, there’s a bear in the house!’”

That bear made its way downstairs to the basement. Jack followed after him. Jack hoped he’d get a chance to open the basement door so the bear could run out. But he didn’t.

Jack says “he charged me. Bit me in the lower leg and scratched me in the other leg and then knocked me over.”

Jack had so much adrenaline rushing through him, he didn’t feel the bite at all. So he started whacking the bear with a bat.

The bear ran up the stairs and climbed up in to Jack’s loft.

At this point, police and members of the Division of Wildlife were already on their way.

Jack says “unfortunately the bear tried climbing out of an upper story window and then police and DOW had to take care of him at that point.”

Jack suffered a few injuries and the bear was put down. The Division of Wildlife and Jack say this incident could have been prevented.

Jack says “make sure the garage door is shut every night. I had forgot to shut it last night.”

via Jack Hansell survives bear attack in his Colorado home | ksdk.com | St. Louis, MO.

WEST MILFORD — The female bear hunted by New Jersey wildlife officials since it attacked a West Milford man and his dog on June 24 in Norvin Green State Park was trapped and euthanized Thursday night near where the incident occurred, the state Department of Environmental Protection said today.

The 188-pound, female bruin was caught at about 4:45 p.m. near a West Milford home where it had been causing new problems, said DEP spokesman Lawrence Ragonese, explaining the bear had just ripped into a chicken coop at the house before it ran into the baited, culvert trap set up by wildlife officials days earlier. The bear had three, six-month-old cubs which authorities said should be able to survive on their own.

“We had two previous aggressive incidents with this bear, and when it was caught it was being aggressive again. It was euthanized,” Ragonese said, adding that ten aggressive bears have been put down by wildlife officials and police this year.

The hiker was knocked down, but not seriously injured in the June 24 incident, and his dog is recovering from its wounds. The attack prompted a portion of the park to be closed and the postponement of a local fireworks display as authorities searched for the bruin.

via Bear who attacked West Milford hiker is captured, euthanized | NJ.com.

MONTERREY Mexico (Reuters) – Intense rain from Hurricane Alex shut down Mexico’s richest city, Monterrey, on Friday, as floods killed six people, swept away cars and swamped wealthy suburbs with mud and rocks.

More than a year’s worth of rain fell in three days from the first named Atlantic storm of the 2010 season, swelling dry river beds and destroying chunks of highway in the city, 125 miles (200 km) south of McAllen, Texas.

One woman was crushed to death by a mudslide as huge rocks from the surrounding mountains crashed down on roads.

“I thought we were going to die,” housewife Lesly Ramos told local radio as she surveyed her home filled with rocks and mud in a middle-class suburb.

The floods dragged away furniture from mansions in the San Pedro Garza Garcia suburb, Mexico’s wealthiest municipality, and buffalo were washed out of the city zoo.

Normally spared from hurricanes coming off the Gulf of Mexico, Monterrey was caught unprepared for the storm that came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday night after it killed 12 people in Central America but missed oil rigs in the Gulf.

The storm powered inland in Mexico, bringing up to 30 inches (80 cm) of rain in some areas of Monterrey.

“That is more than the accumulated amount of rain in the 365 days of the year,” said Jorge Camacho, director of rescue services in Nuevo Leon state, of which Monterrey is the capital.

Many businesses in the city, which has the highest per capita income in Mexico and is home to drinks giant Femsa and global cement maker Cemex, shuttered as authorities closed bridges over the Santa Catarina river, usually bone-dry but surging on Friday.

Tens of thousands of homes were without water and electricity on Friday and many huddled in shelters. Although the rain lessened, authorities were still on high alert.

via Six killed as Alex floods major Mexican city | World | Reuters.

GRAHAM (AP) – A man has died after he was struck by lightning at an Alamance County home.

Horacio Ascencio, 19, died Wednesday in the burn unit at UNC-Chapel Hill Hospital. Police say Ascencio was standing under a tree in the front yard of a home in Graham around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday when he was hit by lightning.

His mother says Ascencio’s shoe came off, his sock was ripped open and smoke was coming from his body.Ascencio’s heart stopped, but he was revived and taken to a hospital.

Alamance County was under a severe thunderstorm warning issued by the National Weather Service when Ascencio was struck.

Witnesses told authorities that the sky was clear, and there was a light drizzle of rain.

via 19-year-old struck by lightning, killed | ascencio, struck, lightning – Local News – Gaston Gazette.

(WHAS11) -  Tim Scott, the hiker that survived a black bear attack in Red River Gorge, sits down with WHAS11’s Claudia Coffey for his first television interview.

He allowed WHAS11 to come to his Springfield, Kentucky home where he explained how he escaped from the death grip of a black bear. He says the bear followed him along a trail in Red River Gorge, threw him 4 feet, then started chewing on his legs. Finally another hiker came to his aid.

He tells his account of what he thinking and how he tried to escape exclusively to WHAS11.

Scott survived but has 50 to 60 stitches on both legs. His story of survival in his own words, tonight at 5 and 6 p.m. on WHAS11 News and WHAS11.com.

The bear is still on the loose, and some 40,000 acres of campgrounds and trails are closed until the bear is caught.

via Black Bear attack victim shares his survival story

A Perry County woman suffered bites and scratches from a black bear Tuesday, the first such attack in the state in about a year.

The attack occurred about 6:15 a.m. as the woman walked her Australian sheep dog in a wooded area near her home on East Newport Road in Oliver Twp.

The woman was treated at a hospital for the bites and scratches to her back, Pennsylvania Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said.

Her dog, which ran off when it spotted the bear, was uninjured, officials said.

George Schaefer, a neighbor, said bears live in the heavily wooded area and sightings have become a fairly regular occurrence.

Black bears have also been sighted or trapped recently in North Annville and West Cornwall townships in Lebanon County, Upper Allen Twp., Camp Hill and along the Conodoguinet Creek in Cumberland County, and Derry and Middle Paxton townships in Dauphin County.

Marcus Schneck, an outdoor writer for The Patriot-News, said the last bear attack he was aware of occurred about this time last year in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Bushkill, Pike County. “These sort of attacks are definitely rare,” he said.

In September, a woman was mauled to death by her pet black bear while she was cleaning its cage in the Pocono Mountains about 20 miles north of Allentown. The woman’s husband had permits allowing him to keep, sell and display exotic animals.

The bear in the Perry County incident, whose age, sex and size were unknown, was at large Tuesday evening.

Game Commission officers were setting a trap for it, Feaser said.

via Black bear attacks woman walking her dog in woods – PennLive.com.

VAIL — Justin Young was hoping he’d see a bear while working in the Vail Valley this summer, but he never wanted to see one as close as he did last Friday.

Young, 25, was working for his father’s construction business at a home in the 1500 block of Spring Hill Lane in East Vail when he took a break and took a stroll behind the home around 9 a.m. The next thing he knew he was about 20 feet from a black bear that he said weighed about 400 pounds.

“I spooked him,” Young said. “He immediately charged at me.”

Young, who lives in Florida full-time, said he feels incredibly fortunate to have survived the encounter. The bear hit him on the side of his head and again on the left side of his body before Young fell down. The bear knocked him out, he said, and when he regained consciousness the bear was gone. He got up and ran back to the house and told his coworkers what happened.

Young doubts his coworkers would have believed him if it wasn’t for the bear hair.

“They assumed I fell down the stairs and was full of it, until they saw I was covered in bear hair,” Young said.

He walked away with some cuts and bruises, and a nasty black eye, but that was it.

His parents, Chuck and Terry Young, of Eagle, saw pictures of their son’s cuts and bruises from his cell phone camera that morning. Terry Young said she got a picture message that said her son had quite the story to tell her.

“Now he has a whole new respect for bears,” Terry Young said.

Justin Young said he’s pretty sure he scared the bear because it was facing away from him as he approached it. The bear reacted and went on the defensive, he said.

“I’m very fortunate the bear was on the defensive and not the offensive,” Justin Young said.

After the bear hit him once near his left eye and temple, he put up his arm to protect himself. The bear got a pretty good scratch at his left arm, and that’s when Justin Young thinks he was knocked out.

He said he thinks his lifeless body as he laid there unconscious was what saved him. If he continued to fight back and try to protect himself, he said the bear may have done even more damage.

“It’s probably good he knocked me out,” Justin Young said. “I’m glad I wasn’t conscious for it.”

Justin Young said he has a lot of bruises and scratches on his body, too, which makes him think the bear continued to smack him around a bit while he was unconscious. He said the Division of Wildlife officer who responded to the scene told him a bear that size could exert 1,000 pounds of force.

The Vail Police Department responded to the call along with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Justin Young said he refused an ambulance ride to the hospital because he felt fine and doesn’t have health insurance.

“Now that it’s done and over with, and I know that I’m not going to die from it, it’s kind of a cool story,” Justin Young said.

Randy Hampton, spokesman for the Division of Wildlife, said the agency tracked the bear for more than 12 hours Friday and could see the bear a few times but couldn’t catch him. They tracked him with hound dogs but lost the scent when the bear’s trail led across asphalt, a surface much harder for dogs to smell.

“Any situation in Colorado where we deal with an aggressive animal injuring a person, the policy is typically that the animal is going to be put down,” Hampton said.

Hampton said that while it’s not exactly common to hear of a bear attacking or charging at a person, it does happen several times a year in Colorado. There were three incidents last year in the Aspen-area alone where people were physically injured by bears, he said.

“That being said, it’s more common to get attacked by your neighbor’s dog than a bear,” Hampton said.

Hampton said he didn’t have information on the size or sex of the bear that attacked Justin Young. He said 400 pounds sounds pretty large, though, for a black bear this time of year.

“What we find is that most often, because of their hair and how much hair they have, it makes them appear much larger,” Hampton said. “Guessing the weight of a bear is extremely difficult.”

via Bear attacks man in East Vail | VailDaily.com.

A Chihuahua died Sunday afternoon in the jaws of two pit bulls after they entered its south Richmond home and approached its owner’s newborn child, police say.

“The pit bulls apparently entered the residence through an open front door and approached a 22-day-old infant, whom the mom had been feeding,” said Dan Barrett, deputy director of the Contra Costa Animal Services department. “The family has a Chihuahua that confronted them. Of course, they focused their attention on the small dog.”

The larger animals seized the Chihuahua in their jaws and carried it out of the house, on the 300 block of South 7th Street. Authorities later found it dead nearby.

Richmond police officers responding to several 911 calls about the attack beginning at 4:35 p.m., and tracked the pit bulls to a home on the 300 block of South 4th Street, Sgt. Bisa French said. No people were hurt.

The owner did not surrender the dogs for euthanization, meaning Animal Services will conduct an investigation and may hold a hearing in a future to decide what to do with them.

County ordinance allows owners of animals accused of violent behavior an administrative hearing before the agency imposes fines, monitoring requirement or euthanization.

The family of the Chihuahua could not be reached for comment.

via Chihuahua died defending newborn from pit bulls in Richmond – San Jose Mercury News.

WEST ASHLEY, SC (WCSC) — What started out as an early morning dog walk turned in to a battle of life or death for William Belch of West Ashley.

Belch said he was walking his grandchildren’s German Sheppard, Dutchess, near a community pond in the Hamilton Grove subdivision around 7 a.m. Sunday.  Suddenly, according to Belch, a sharp movement in the water caught the attention of Dutchess who broke free from his grasp and headed directly toward the water.

“It was so quick!” recalled Belch.  “Like a snake striking out!”

Within seconds, what Belch described as an eight foot alligator had Dutchess in its jaws, dragging the 80-pound dog into the water.

“I knew it was my grandchildren’s dog and that I would have no way of explaining to them that [the dog] had been killed by a gator, so I just reacted on instinct.”

Which meant Belch was going to get in the water. He spent the next 30 seconds in a three-way tug of war; one hand pulling Dutchess, the other thrashing the alligator on the nose.

After a trip to a local veterinarian Dutchess will make a full recovery. The dog has some scarring on her legs and skull.  While animal safety is a top concern, admits Belch, it’s not his only worry.

“The neighborhood is lined with houses, all filled with small children,” Belch said.  “Something is going to happen. Something tragic. I just know it.”

Belch’s daughter, Joanna Robbs, said she has called her homeowners association as well as the Department of Natural Resources about alligator problems in the past.

“Usually they tell us [the alligators] are more afraid of humans and pets than anything else,” Robbs said. “Clearly, this isn’t the case.”

Robbs and Belch both say that, in their observation, the alligators that do inhabit the pond make their way from a heavily wooded swamp area that surrounds much of Hamilton Grove.  Robbs also said that the Department of Natural Resources has told her that due to the close proximity of the alligators natural habitat to the neighborhood, it is hard to do anything drastic about the situation.

“They expect us to live side by side, but that just isn’t safe,” Robbs said.  “An alligator can grab an 80-pound dog, it can grab a 50-pound child.”

Both Belch and Robbs agree killing the alligators is not the best method of control, however.

“Fences, barricades, something,” Belch said. “Something has to be done before it is too late.”

Follow up calls to the Department of Natural Resources and the local homeowners association will be made when offices resume business on Monday Robbs said.

via West Ashley alligator attack spikes safety concerns – CHARLESTON, SC NEWS – LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, Sports.

A six-year-old Rye girl was tackled and bitten by a pair of coyotes Friday night in front of her home on LaSalle Avenue, Rye police said.

The animals bounded from a nearby sidewalk to the girl’s front yard, where she was playing with friends at 9:15 p.m. As the girl began to run, the two coyotes “singled her out for the attack” and brought her to the ground, scratching and biting her amid screaming and confusion until an adult was able to scare them away, Rye police Commissioner William Connors said.

The girl was brought to Greenwich Hospital, where she was treated for bite marks to her shoulder, upper thigh and neck, as well as scratches and claw marks on her ear and back, Connors said. Her name and address weren’t released because of her age.

“Last night she was traumatized, obviously, and wasn’t able to say much while she was in the hospital, but our youth officer did a follow-up interview with her,” he said. “She seems to be a very brave young lady.”

Police spotted one of the coyotes a few minutes later in the same neighborhood, and an officer chased the animal onto the grounds of a nearby golf course. The officer took aim and fired at the coyote, but police don’t believe the shot found its mark. Officers searched the area — aided by thermal imaging cameras, infrared equipment and high-intensity lighting from mobile units — but weren’t able to track the animal down.

Friday’s incident was the second high-profile coyote attack in recent months. On March 31, a coyote attacked and killed a miniature poodle pet that belonged to a resident of the Osborn Retirement Community. The coyote snapped the small dog’s neck, prompting police to retain the services of a full-time trapper. The trapper has helped authorities in Rye and neighboring towns — like Port Chester, which has also had coyote sightings — set the traps in strategic areas.

Judith Steers, whose poodle Cleopatra was killed in the attack, said she arrived home at the retirement community this afternoon to find a recorded message from police on her answering machine.

In discussions with friends and family, she has worried that future attacks could target children, and Friday’s incident saw that fear realized.

“I said, you know, when they get used to people, the next thing is going to be a child,” she said. “I keep my eyes open all the time, because very often I’m walking from one house to the other at night.”

Other Rye residents share Steers’ anxiety.

“This makes me worry about letting the kids out,” said Joan Corbitt, who lives near the Glen Oaks neighborhood where the attack took place. “I don’t want to want to let them out of my sight.”

George and Anita Penn, also Rye residents, live in an apartment complex on Locust Avenue. And though their neighborhood is urban—and often busy with traffic—they are still apprehensive.

“I’d be cautious all day,” Mr. Penn said. “Especially with young children.”

Scott Sprague, a Port Chester resident who works as a ranger at Rye Town Park, said this is the first he has heard of coyotes attacking a human.

“I know coyotes will attach small animals—and sometimes dogs—but this is startling,” he said.

We haven’t seen any in the park recently,” Sprague added. “But that’s doesn’t mean they’re not around.

The attacks and uptick in sightings are a clear sign that expanding developments and increased human presence are infringing on the animals’ habitat. Connors said coyotes are becoming more brazen, and noted one case where a coyote was spotted “walking down the center line of Boston Post Road, near Playland Parkway,” one of Rye’s busiest and most heavily-trafficked areas.

It’s unusual behavior for an animal not usually known for aggressiveness.

“They are timid. They will attack a small dog, and as we’ve seen in this case, possibly a small child. Generally, they won’t go after anything that’s bigger than they are, and they usually weigh about 35 lbs,” Connors said. “The general wisdom is to act aggressively, to make noise…if the person flees, the coyote gets a sense of fear and will pursue. They’re very territorial.”

Steers agrees, saying she was able to finally scare the coyote off — and retrieve the body of her dog — when she rang a cowbell and pointed a flash light at the animal.

“I don’t know what we can do because there’s no predator,” above the coyote in the local food chain, she said.

Compounding the problem for police is the fact that action against potentially dangerous animals must be weighed against the safety of people in surrounding neighborhoods — traps must be set in areas where they aren’t likely to spring on pedestrians, children and small pets, and officers are severely limited in situations where they might otherwise fire shots at aggressive animals.

But Connors said Friday’s attack has made it clear “we need to be more aggressive.” Authorities will work with trappers and animal experts to capture and relocate potentially dangerous animals, and more traps will be set up around town.

“The equation has changed. Traditionally, we would shoot an animal only if it’s acting aggressive or sick,” he said. “This has changed that equation, and we will take action against one of these animals if we can do so safely.”

via Rye Patch, NY – Six-year-old Rye Girl Attacked In Front Yard By Pair Of Coyotes.

The family of a Park Ridge botanist killed last week by a grizzly bear near his Wyoming summer cabin told the Chicago Sun-Times this morning Erwin Evert had no idea researchers were trapping bears nearby when he faced one in a deadly encounter last Thursday.

“He knew they were doing some sort of bear research — and that’s all he knew,” said Evert’s daughter, Mara Evert Domingue, 44, in a telephone interview from her home in Louisiana.

Domingue and Evert’s widow, Yolanda Evert, said they’re outraged that there were no signs warning residents about the researchers’ work, which involved baiting, tranquilizing, collaring and then releasing the bears.

“I’m just furious,” said the 72-year-old Yolanda Evert, who is staying with her daughter.

Some two weeks before his death, Erwin Evert, 70, had taken a hike along a trail near the couple’s cabin and had encountered some “yellow ribbon,” which warned the public to stay away because dangerous bears were in the area, his wife said. But Evert’s widow said the trail should have been closed and that researchers should have informed the nearby cabin owners about the specifics of their work.

Park County, Wyo., Sheriff Scott Steward — whose agency initially investigated the mauling — gave the Sun-Times a different account Wednesday, saying it appeared that Evert knew researchers were in the area capturing bears and that signs, or the absence of them, likely would have had little effect.

“Common sense would have told most people it’s not a good idea to go into an area where [they're] trapping bears,” Steward said. “It’s just a matter of poor judgment.”

Investigators say Evert’s mauled body was found the evening of June 17 in the same area where the research team had caught, tranquilized and collared a grizzly earlier in the day before releasing it.

But Yolanda Evert said her husband had no idea he might be encountering a groggy bear and — as an experienced botanist very familiar with bears and their terrain — he wouldn’t have put himself at unnecessary risk.

“He’s encountered [grizzlies] many times,” she said. “I’ve had grizzlies at the window of my cabin. I’ve had them right at my window when I was home alone.”

Last Thursday, Erwin Evert — a retired teacher and an amateur botanist — set off about 12:45 p.m. on a hike he’d taken many times before, his wife said.

“He put on his stocking cap because we’d had snow flurries that morning, and it was a little windy,” Yolanda Evert said. “He said he’d be home in a couple of hours. I didn’t even give him a hug or anything because it was such a usual trip.”

The botanist was supposed to be back at the cabin by 4 p.m, but when he didn’t return, his wife said she headed out toward the hiking trail head and called out, “Erwin! Erwin!”

An hour later, he still hadn’t returned — which was odd, his wife said — because he knew she had prepared an early dinner for him.

“I had deviled eggs, marinated beef and rice ready for him,” Evert said. “I had the table all set.”

About that time, Yolanda Evert said saw two men on horseback that she knew were somehow connected to the bear research.

She asked them if they’d seen her husband and that he was missing.

The men on horseback said very little, but one of them, “turned that horse around and whipped up that road like a flash.”

About 15 minutes later, the horseman who’d galloped away, returned.

“He came down, and I said, ‘Did you you find him? Did you find him?’” Yolanda Evert recalled. “He said, ‘I found him. He’s gone.” And then he put his head down and got off his horse. I almost fell apart.”

Searchers later caught and killed the bear — a 430-pound male — that attacked Evert.

Chuck Schwartz, leader of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, said this week that he couldn’t talk about the bear attack involving Evert because it’s under investigation. But he said it’s standard procedure for the team — made up of state and federal researchers — to post signs letting the public know that a bear-trapping operation is under way and that the area is closed to the public.

via Widow of man killed by bear ‘furious’ at researchers :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State.

LAKEVILLE — A Helen Street home was a horrific scene Wednesday afternoon, when a vicious pit bull attack left a 5-year-old boy and his babysitter seriously injured.

The boy, who lives next door to the 38-year-old babysitter, was reportedly in the woman’s living room shortly before 5 p.m. when her pet pit bull attacked him. When the woman tried to pull the dog off of the boy, the animal reportedly turned on her. After police arrived at the scene, an officer fired multiple rounds at the pit bull, killing the animal, neighbors said.

The boy and woman were both flown to hospitals by MedFlight helicopters.

via Boy, woman hospitalized after pit bull attack – Taunton, MA – The Taunton Gazette.

THE dad of a three-year-old attacked by a fox has described him as a “very brave little boy”. Relieved Sam Jermy said yesterday that son Jake was in “high spirits” after being bitten on the arm at a playgroup party. But the mum of twins Lola and Isabella Koupparis – who were mauled a fortnight ago – urged parents to start treating foxes as “a threat”.

Pauline, 41, said of the latest attack: “Pro-fox people will say he provoked it. However, it worries me that the fox was able to get close enough to the child.” Yesterday we revealed how Jake was attacked as he reached for a ball near a den under a playgroup’s building.

Staff had been aware that a family of foxes was living there for a year. But they did nothing about it as a local wildlife expert told them not to worry. The Dorothy Stringer Playgroup, in Brighton, East Sussex, was closed yesterday after pest controllers were called in following Saturday’s attack. Jake’s mum Jacqui and dad Sam, both 35, said they were relieved that the fox had not bitten or scratched the boy’s face and that his injuries were not likely to leave permanent scars. But they said they did want the fox to be destroyed. Jake is recovering at home. Sam said: “He’s doing well. It was a bit of a nightmare but he’s back on top form as if it never happened. “We feel it was not the fault of the fox or Jake but an unfortunate event.” A friend who was at the party said: “He’s doing OK but he’s got bite marks and lacerations to his arm.” The playgroup said: “We wish him a speedy recovery. We were aware of the foxes for some time. “The advice given by a local wildlife expert was that they did not pose a threat to people. “The nursery will remain closed until we’ve ensured the safety of our children and staff.” The incident came after nine-month-old Isabella and Lola were attacked as they slept in their cots by a fox that crept into their home in Hackney, East London, through an open patio door. The council then laid traps in the garden and caught six foxes – which were destroyed. They have now been removed.

via Print Friendly Page.

Smoke continues to flow from the home of 81-year-old Martha Smith after lightning struck it around 3:00 p.m. Monday afternoon setting it on fire.

“The house was burning and she was still inside. She didn’t know what to do,” said Chief Raymond Parke.

A nearby farm hand witnessed the lightning strike off Lost Fork Road and went to see if he could help.

“By the time he got over there, he went in the house and he couldn’t find her, so he came back around the house and then came back and she was standing by the back doors.”

Relatives say Smith was able to get out without injury. It took fire crews around an hour to put out the flames.

“The whole back side of the house was fully involved with fire and smoke,” said Chief Parke.

Family members say the 81-year-old lived here for around 25 years and they say she’s now staying with relatives.

As fire crews continue to put out hot spots, family members save what they can.

“The house is a total loss there are a few salvageable things in the house.”

Smith’s family says everything that can’t be salvaged can be replaced they are just happy the 81-year-old is safe.

This is the second fire set by lightning in Richmond in the past week.  A week ago today, a house on Highland Avenue was struck by lightning overnight. Firefighters had to cut holes in portions of the roof to put out the flame.

via Lightning Strikes Home, Elderly Woman Escapes Fire.

Smoke continues to flow from the home of 81-year-old Martha Smith after lightning struck it around 3:00 p.m. Monday afternoon setting it on fire.

“The house was burning and she was still inside. She didn’t know what to do,” said Chief Raymond Parke.

A nearby farm hand witnessed the lightning strike off Lost Fork Road and went to see if he could help.

“By the time he got over there, he went in the house and he couldn’t find her, so he came back around the house and then came back and she was standing by the back doors.”

Relatives say Smith was able to get out without injury. It took fire crews around an hour to put out the flames.

“The whole back side of the house was fully involved with fire and smoke,” said Chief Parke.

Family members say the 81-year-old lived here for around 25 years and they say she’s now staying with relatives.

As fire crews continue to put out hot spots, family members save what they can.

“The house is a total loss there are a few salvageable things in the house.”

Smith’s family says everything that can’t be salvaged can be replaced they are just happy the 81-year-old is safe.

This is the second fire set by lightning in Richmond in the past week.  A week ago today, a house on Highland Avenue was struck by lightning overnight. Firefighters had to cut holes in portions of the roof to put out the flame.

via Lightning Strikes Home, Elderly Woman Escapes Fire.

Food and garbage abandoned at a campsite in Mineral County likely attracted a black bear that bit a Washington man on the head early Monday, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Rob Holmes, of Ellensburg, Wash., required 21 stitches on his earlobe after the bear bit him through his tent around 4:30 a.m., as he and a friend slept up Little Joe Road just southwest of St. Regis.

Holmes’ injuries were not life-threatening, and he and his friend had left for home by Monday afternoon.

After the bear bit Holmes, the man screamed. He then grabbed a flashlight and tried to follow it before driving to a Missoula hospital.

“It reacted to people, which is good,” said Mack Long, FWP regional supervisor. “But the downside is that once it is habituated, it’s almost impossible to change.”

Holmes kept a clean camp, Long said, but other campers left behind food and other attractants at the U.S. Forest Service campground, which is “primitive” and not a sanctioned campground.

“He did everything right,” said Jeff Darrah, FWP warden captain in Missoula.

The FWP is currently attempting to track down the bear, which will be euthanized once it’s found. In the meantime, the camping area is closed until further notice.

FWP officials said the radius and patterns of the bite marks on Holmes and in his tent were identical to those found on cans of food and other items at the nearby abandoned campsite.

It is unknown how long that campsite had been abandoned, but the bear likely had visited the site for at least a couple of nights, said Long. It likely was a temporary campsite for transients, he said.

Long put all blame on the campers who abandoned their site and left food and other items behind. He said “attack” is not the correct word for the incident, which will unfortunately lead to a dead bear.

Long said he believes it is the only reported case of a human injury caused by a bear in western Montana this year.

The message is clear, he stressed: Don’t leave food and other attractants open at a campsite, and never leave food behind.

via Black bear bites through tent, into sleeping man’s ear near St. Regis.

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – A 19-year-old man is listed in fair condition at Rhode Island Hospital after he was struck by lightning Sunday night in a treehouse at a North Providence home.

The victim, identified late Monday morning as Matt Leathers, suffered burns over much of his body during a fast and furious thunderstorm that rolled through the area Sunday afternoon.

Leathers had been sitting on the steps of the treehouse on Salem Drive.

His neighbor, Ariana Petrosinelli, said she heard a loud crack when the bolt struck. Leathers was knocked unconscious for a few minutes, she said. Petrosinelli’s mother called 911.

The strike was violent enough to propel pieces of the treehouse ladder 30 feet into a neighbor’s yard.

Around the same time, lightning struck a home on Fruit Hill Avenue, causing a fire that left the home unlivable.

via Teen in treehouse struck by lightning | WPRI.com.

The fox attack in England sensationalist reporting is getting to be a bit much. Other than the toddlers, these are very small encounters.

A toddler was recovering at home today after being attacked by fox at a playgroup in Brighton.

The three-year-old boy was either bitten or scratched on the arm as he played outside at a party at Dorothy Stringer pre-school playgroup in Brighton, East Sussex, on Saturday afternoon.

It is believed the child, who has not been named, stroked the tail of an animal that was sticking out from under a temporary building, when it turned on him. The playgroup was closed today. In a statement it said: “We can confirm that a child suffered injuries after being attacked by a fox at an event on our premises at the weekend.”

It said foxes had existed in the area for sometime, but the playgroup had not taken action because wildlife experts had advised that they were not a danger to people.

An RSPCA inspector who attended the scene was unable to find the animal.

Relatives took the boy to the Royal Sussex county hospital in Brighton where he was treated and released, according to Sussex police. He is now recovering at home, the playgroup said.

Its statement added: “We have been in touch with Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] and also with a local pest control company, which is due to visit this afternoon to give advice on the action we should take.”

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: “As far as we are aware it was a fox. People there told us they were aware of a fox who had made his den there and had been living there for a year or so.”

She added: “Attacks like this are extremely rare. Foxes will usually shy away from interaction with people. We offer our sincere condolences to the family concerned and we hope for a speedy recovery for the child.”

The spokeswoman explained that had a fox been found, it would not have been put down but taken away and re-released elsewhere. She had no information on the extent of the injuries.

A police spokeswoman said: “Police were called by South East Coast Ambulance Service at 12.30pm on Saturday 19 June after a report of a boy being bitten by a fox.”

She added: “The boy was taken to the Royal Sussex county hospital by family, where he was treated and released.”

A spokeswoman for South East Coast Ambulance Service said: “We were called to the scene but were then stood down. This would imply that the injuries were not that bad.”

Trevor Weeks, founder of the charity East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service, called for a proportionate response to the attack.

He said: “It has been known for years by the educational authorities that foxes live under makeshift buildings at schools, so it should come as no surprise there was a fox present.

“The fox did not attack the child – it was defending itself. There is a significant difference. Any wild animal is going to turn round and bite if you grab its tail.”

The incident comes a fortnight after nine-month-old twins Isabella and Lola Koupparis were attacked after a fox entered their upstairs bedroom in Hackney, east London.

It is thought to have got in through a door on the ground floor of the three-storey house, which was left open because of the hot weather, while the children’s parents watched Britain’s Got Talent on television.

Both girls have since been discharged from hospital. The twins’ four-year-old brother, Max, who was also sleeping upstairs, was not hurt in the attack.

via Toddler released from hospital after Brighton fox attack | World news | guardian.co.uk.

A fox that attacked a Cottonwood woman Wednesday tested positive for rabies Thursday.

It was the first reported rabid wildlife attack in Yavapai County this year, after several odd incidents in 2009.

The year 2009 saw a record 280 confirmed reports of rabid wildlife. About half were skunks, 69 were bats and 51 were foxes. Fifteen cases occurred in Yavapai County, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Last year's record was a 59 percent increase from the previous record of 176 set in 2008. So far this year, the state has recorded 61 rabies cases in wild animals, two-thirds were skunks.

While state agencies don't track rabid wildlife attacks, at least three occurred last year in the Prescott and Cottonwood areas.

In the latest incident Wednesday evening, a woman who lives along North Willard Streeet in Cottonwood said a fox attacked her and bit her hand.

She had just caught a javelina in a trap in her yard and when it was loaded into her vehicle, she went back into her yard.

Suddenly a grey fox jumped over a retaining wall and bit her hand, then ran away. She suffered minor lacerations and is undergoing rabies shots.

The woman's husband said the fox had been in the area for some time and thought it lived in an abandoned house next door. However, it had just started acting strangely in the last few days.

When the report came into the police, they suspected the fox was rabid because they had received two earlier reports of a fox trying unsuccessfully to attack people in the area, including a UPS driver who fended off the fox with a clipboard, according to state wildlife officials and Cottonwood Sgt. Gareth Braxton.

An officer spotted the fox in the vacant home next to the victim's home, Cottonwood police said. When the fox leaped onto the retaining wall about 15 feet away from the officers, one of the officers shot and killed it.

Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesperson Zen Mocarski warned people to stay away from wild animals and watch for unusual behavior indicative of rabies.

Signs of rabies include lethargy, lack of fear of humans, unusual aggression and activity during the heat of the day, especially from nocturnal animals.

The last reported rabid wildlife attack in Yavapai County took place in April 2009 when a rabid bobcat attacked a family walking along Lynx Creek in Prescott Valley.

In March 2009, a rabid bobcat attacked patrons in a Cottonwood bar, and the saloon's video camera captured the havoc.

And in February 2009 and November 2008, two separate rabid foxes attacked hikers at the Granite Mountain Recreation Area just west of Prescott.

via Rabid fox attacks Cottonwood woman – The Prescott Daily Courier – Prescott, Arizona.

GRAHAM (AP) – A man has died after he was struck by lightning at an Alamance County home.

Horacio Ascencio, 19, died Wednesday in the burn unit at UNC-Chapel Hill Hospital. Police say Ascencio was standing under a tree in the front yard of a home in Graham around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday when he was hit by lightning.

His mother says Ascencio's shoe came off, his sock was ripped open and smoke was coming from his body.Ascencio's heart stopped, but he was revived and taken to a hospital.

Alamance County was under a severe thunderstorm warning issued by the National Weather Service when Ascencio was struck.

Witnesses told authorities that the sky was clear, and there was a light drizzle of rain.

via 19-year-old struck by lightning, killed | ascencio, struck, lightning – Local News – Gaston Gazette.

Clearly God has a sense of humor.

MONROE, Ohio – A six-story statue of Jesus Christ was struck by lightning and burned to the ground, leaving only a blackened steel skeleton and pieces of foam that were scooped up by curious onlookers Tuesday.

The “King of Kings” statue, one of southwest Ohio's most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.

The lightning strike set the statue ablaze around 11:15 p.m. Monday, Monroe police dispatchers said.

The sculpture, about 62 feet tall and 40 feet wide at the base, showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown. It was made of plastic foam and fiberglass over a steel frame, which is all that remained Tuesday.

The nickname is the same used for a famous mural of the resurrected Jesus that overlooks the Notre Dame football stadium.

Video courtesy of WLWT. For more visit WLWT.com

The fire spread from the statue to an adjacent amphitheater but was confined to the attic area, and no one was injured, police Chief Mark Neu said.

Estimated damage from the fire was set at $700,000 — $300,000 for the statue and $400,000 for the amphitheater, Fire Capt. Richard Mascarella said Tuesday.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was at the scene Tuesday to prevent traffic jams and potential accidents from motorists stopping along the highway to take photographs.

The patrol began issuing citations about 4 p.m. Tuesday to motorists for stopping on the side of the highway, dispatcher Adam Brown said. The number of gawkers coupled with construction had slowed I-75 traffic in the area to a crawl, the state Highway Patrol said.

Some people were scooping up pieces of the statue's foam from the nearby pond to take home with them, said church co-pastor Darlene Bishop.

“This meant a lot to a lot of people,” she said.

Keith Lewis, of nearby Middletown, arrived at the church around 7 a.m. Tuesday to photograph the remains for his wife. Lewis said he had viewed the statue as both an oddity and an inspiration.

Cassie Browning, a church member from Dayton, said she was driving home when she saw smoke and noticed the statue was missing.

Travelers on I-75 often were startled to come upon the huge statue by the roadside, but many said America needs more symbols like it. So many people stopped at the church campus that church officials had to build a walkway to accommodate them.

Bishop said the statue will be rebuilt.

“It will be back, but this time we are going to try for something fireproof,” she said.

The 4,000-member, nondenominational church was founded by Bishop and her husband, former horse trader Lawrence Bishop.

Lawrence Bishop said in 2004 he was trying to help people, not impress them, with the statue. He said his wife proposed the Jesus figure as a beacon of hope and salvation.

via 6-story Jesus statue in Ohio struck by lightning – Yahoo! News.