Community Chat

[ROMARY]

I'm thinking that a mother bear will attack when she is protecting her cubs.  Could be that when the mother bear doesn't have cubs, then she wouldn't bother attacking humans.  In summary: A bear might not be ordinarily dangerous if and when it isn't provoked or when it doesn't have cubs to protect. Just my thoughts.  Personally, I'd probably capture the mom and the cubs and move them to a more isolated part of the area (where there are natural food sources and drinking water, of course).  That's what I would do, right or wrong. 

[Juniebugz]

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@Chrystaltree2 wrote:

The bear was a wild animal, not a mom.  Moms are people.  I don't much about bears but I assume that the rationale is that once a bear attacks a human the odds are the bear will do it again.  So, as a precaution, the bear is euthanized.  It;s unfortunate but if protects humans life, it;s the right thing to do.  

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But she was a mama bear. I thought all bears will attack humans under many circumstances and conditions and I didn't know it had anything to do with if they attacked before. Maybe somebody here knows? 

[KALLIE]

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@natureluvr wrote:

I couldn't agree with you more.  The best moms in the world are bears. They must be ever watchful because the cubs own father could kill the cubs.  It's good the lady will be alright but we have a responsibility when we enter the wilderness to understand and know well the environment, to know the risks.  Why does the bear have to pay for the jogger's risk taking when all the bear was doing what she was supposed to?  Especially this time of year the cubs are still quite young and small. When will we learn to appreciate and honor the natural world.?

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^THIS. SAD that an animal is put down because of a person's ignorance.

[Nuttmeg]

This is sad.  The cubs will have a better chance to be adult bears, because they are in rehab.

[raven-blackbird]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

Yesterday morning a mama bear with three cubs attacked a jogger in the Valles Caldera National Preserve in the Jemez  Mountains near me.  The jogger,  a young woman, was scratched up pretty badly, and they airlifted her out to Albuquerque .  They say she'll be okay.

Now the sad part.  State Law says if a bear attacks a human, it must be destroyed.  Rangers located the bear and killed her, leaving her three cubs orphans.  They were caught and taken to a rehab center where they'll be raised and then released into the wild.

Here is the Valles Caldera.  It's a beautiful place of 93,000 acres.

I think it's so tragic that a bear mom is killed just because she reacted to a perceived threat to her babies.  She just did what any mom would do.

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the bear had to be put down..........once a bear attacks a human, it has NO fear of humans, will not avoid people and will attack again, ithas to be but down it's now become a real problem..................................raven

[MarieIG]

I also find it sad that a woman was mauled and injured. 

[sidsmom]

After an attack, wildlife has to be euthanized because of rabies testing,

not because 'they'll do it again' or not fearful of humans. 

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Source:  cdc.gov

Skunks, raccoons, foxes and bats that bite humans should be euthanized and tested as soon as possible. The length of time between rabies virus appearing in the saliva and onset of symptoms is unknown for these animals and holding them for observation is not acceptable.

After exposure to wildlife in which rabies is suspected, prophylaxis is warranted in most circumstances. Because the period of rabies virus shedding in wild animal hybrids is unknown, these animals should be euthanized and tested rather than confined and observed when they bite humans.