Bear Attack in TN

[Christi V.]

How sad... but unfortuanlly things like this does occur.. maybe the bear had cubs around or just an onrey bear?
We have an abundency of black bears here.. but I have not yet seen one while camping thank goodeness.. I am sure the rangers are on alert. This time of the yr and them coming out of hibernation I am sure mama bear has cubs they are looking for food and i guess if we humans are in their doman its not a good thing...
Does Bear spray work on humans? I carry 'Halt' with me for dogs when i am walking the dogs away from the camp sites, but dont think it works on humans. I would hate to carry 2 or three differnt kinds of spray and at the last moment grab the wrong one! I will check with the sporting goods store today on the bear spray....

[BOBSMITH]

The bear has now been captured and euthanized. I haven't read the details, but I've heard it was a large male bear--about 400 pounds. But I haven't gotten exact details, so don't quote me.

Humans are invading animal habitat. But not by hiking or camping or backpacking. But by urban sprawl. Areas that were once wild are now suburban with houses and shopping centers. This must be stopped and future development into wild lands halted or tightly regulated. Or else there will soon be so little wild lands remaining that our parks will be reduced to small patches of green surrounded by urban and suburban landscapes with no rural lands remaining and wild country reduced to small patches that will be ecologically insignificant and biologically unstainable.

[Christi V.]

Humans are invading animal habitat. But not by hiking or camping or backpacking. But by urban sprawl. Areas that were once wild are now suburban with houses and shopping centers. This must be stopped and future development into wild lands halted or tightly regulated. Or else there will soon be so little wild lands remaining that our parks will be reduced to small patches of green surrounded by urban and suburban landscapes with no rural lands remaining and wild country reduced to small patches that will be ecologically insignificant and biologically unstainable.

Totally agree!!! There is enough land for the both of us to live peacefully, but bad encounters will happen at times whether its with a bear, mt lion, or what ever.... Everythihng needs their "space' and when its invaded and no place for wild life to go.. they are confussed, hungry, and retaliate to get food for themselves and their young.

[Ken James]

Well they caught what they think is the guilty bear this weekend. He/she will be put down. I feel great sympathy for the family but I still hate to see a bear put down for doing what comes naturally. I know it has to be done but that is one less wild critter out there for us shutterbugs.

[Al Stansell]

I am in total agreement that urban sprawl is detrimental to wildlife habitat. This case however took place in a wilderness setting and is a simple case of a predator and prey.

Rick - I am not "sadly misinformed" in expressing my right to defend my life or the life of my wife or child from an attacking animal, by any means. If you find an objection to our right to live, and if indeed by implication you place greater value upon the life of the attacking animal than the life of myself, my wife, my child or any other human, than you indeed are the one that is misinformed, at best.
Why, even a mother bear protects her young.
Alec

[BOBSMITH]

I am in total agreement that urban sprawl is detrimental to wildlife habitat. This case however took place in a wilderness setting and is a simple case of a predator and prey.

Rick - I am not "sadly misinformed" in expressing my right to defend my life or the life of my wife or child from an attacking animal, by [b]any means. If you find an objection to our right to live, and if indeed by implication you place greater value upon the life of the attacking animal than the life of myself, my wife, my child or any other human, than you indeed are the one that is misinformed, at best.
Why, even a mother bear protects her young.
Alec

I don't think guns are restricted at the area where the event took place. It was a National Forest area. Indeed, one of the people there was able to frighten the bear away by discharging a firearm. (But didn't apparently hit the bear.)

National Parks don't allow guns. Neither do most state parks I've visited.

Animal attacks are very rare. However, with over a quarter of a billion human beings in this nation alone, there are bound to be sad encounters that leave people dead. I do a lot of hiking and backpacking, and while I've had my share of frightening encounters with bears, none of them required any kind of self defense.

[Roger H]

Humans are invading animal habitat. But not by hiking or camping or backpacking. But by urban sprawl. Areas that were once wild are now suburban with houses and shopping centers. This must be stopped and future development into wild lands halted or tightly regulated. Or else there will soon be so little wild lands remaining that our parks will be reduced to small patches of green surrounded by urban and suburban landscapes with no rural lands remaining and wild country reduced to small patches that will be ecologically insignificant and biologically unstainable.

And, unfortunately, we're not even sprawling intelligently. We've built on known fault lines in the Bay Area and SoCal. In San Diego, there are huge housing developments built under a dam. I lived in the "back country" in San Diego County in a development called San Diego Country Estates. When I lived there, it was small enough to largely sit on the valley floor; largely immune to brush fires. Country Estates has now built out into the surrounding mountain sides, and lost dozens of houses to the fires a couple of years ago. We've built in flood plains... not to mention what we're doing to the ground water in the midwest with farm chemicals and animal-factory run-off.

It doesn't amaze me that builders build houses in those places. It amazes me that banks will loan money on them, and that anyone would actually buy a house there without recognizing the risks, both financially and personally.

I'm not anti-growth... I'm just not for doing things that are stupid!

Oh... and just to stay on topic, I've had three bear encounters in my backpacking experience, and I too encountered bears that were less happy to see me than I was to see them...

Roger

[Gina D.]

My bear encounters have been fascinating, but uneventful. The nearest was in broad daylight, just a few yards from me in a reasonably open area. He/She was fully aware of me, and I and my pups were fully aware of it.

He/She was simply on it's way somewhere, and only "paws'd" briefly to look at me, then suantered on it's way. I felt no threat from the onset.

The others were simply me being in it's way.. a bump on my trailer, and once with one roaming a ridge across from me.

I most certainly would not go out of my way to greet one, but I am not fearful of an unprovoked attack. Just like thiefs and those out to do you harm, be aware of the possibility, take proper precautions and go have fun.