Maple Ridge man and his dog survive bear attack
According to the Conservation Officer Service, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, a man was walking his off-leash dog along a trail near 240 Street around 2:30 p.m. when a black bear engaged the dog.
"The owner was able to gain control of his dog, and attempted to leave when the bear re-engaged," reports the COS.
The man, who is not identified, was injured when he fought with the bear. A group of nearby fishermen came to assist, and the bear died as a result.
Now I'm curious. How did fisherman kill an angry black bear?
After investigating the incident, COS officers determined the bear was killed in self-defence, and so "no enforcement action will be taken in relation to this incident."
The man suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The deceased bear was taken to an Abbotsford lab to undergo a necropsy to determine if any factors may have affected the bear's behaviour.
In a statement, the COS said despite the season bears are still active in many areas, such as where there are milder temperatures and the availability of attractants like garbage can delay hibernation.
"The public is encouraged to take precautions in case of wildlife encounters, including being aware of your surroundings, leashing pets, and travelling in groups."
According to the B.C. Conservation Foundation, black bears account for up to 25,000 calls to provincial conservation officers each year, and can "become more assertive or destructive when they have learned to associate humans and their activities with food."
B.C. has among the highest population of black bears in the world, and the foundation estimates about 150,000 living in the province.
People can better prevent encounters with black bears by talking and singing to avoid surprising an animal, managing attractants like garbage, keeping pets leashed, and carrying bear spray, according to the foundation.
Animal organization says there was no direct
danger in boy’s confrontation with wolves
There was no direct danger during a confrontation between a boy who was cycling and wolves in Woudenberg, Utrecht, last week Thursday, the Dutch Mammal Society has said. However, the organization did say that the situation was a problem as the wolves were within 30 meters of the boy, the province of Utrecht reported.
The incident allegedly happened on the Voskuilerdijk. The boy claims that he was cycling to school when ten wolves came out of a nearby bush before standing around him. The fright caused the boy to fall off his bike.
A passing driver honked his horn, which scared the wolves away, the boy said. The boy cycled home after this.
The Dutch Mammal Society analyzed the incident at the request of the province of Utrecht. Except for the boy’s statement, there is no other evidence, like DNA or camera footage, to prove this happened. The driver has also not come forward.
"What exactly happened cannot, therefore, be reconstructed according to the Mammal Society," the province said. But if the incident unfolded as this report indicates, there was no immediate danger, the province reported.
If the incident is true, the wolves are likely from the pack on Heuvelrug, Utrecht, where a maximum of seven wolves are living. "The fact that the boy thinks there were ten or more does not alter that prediction because it would have been an impressive event for the boy."
The Mammal Society again advised tracking all wolves. They believe this could have provided faster and more accurate information in this incident.
This was confirmed by the responsible deputy, Mirjam Sterk, during a committee meeting on Wednesday. The province is working on a license to catch, sedate, and track the pack of wolves on the Heuvelrug. The license was initially only requested for one wolf, which specialists claimed was causing trouble.
Sterk said that the province wants to use transmitters to get information about the animals so that action can be taken quickly if necessary.
SGP States Member Bertrick van den Dikkenberg said that these types of issues should not be taken lightly. Sterk replied by saying that this is certainly not the case. She said that she had contacted the boy's father about the Mammal Society's analysis and expressed commitment.
Arne Schaddelee of the ChristenUnie said that it is also important to take this into context. "What happened is very intense, and it is good to look at it in a healthy and critical way," Schaddelee said about the incident in Woudenberg. "But at the same time, we must also let the facts speak. And one of the facts is that
no one has been fatally injured by the wolf in Europe for 40 years."
The province of Utrecht is advising children who are cycling through the forest areas to cycle in groups. “For kids younger than ten, the advice is to always have an adult cycle with you.”
