Talk about being able to throw a punch.
An Alaska woman hit a bear's snout so hard, it let go of the dog it was gnawing on -- her dog to be exact.
Brooke Collins, 22, said she had let her two dogs out on Sunday, when she heard her pooch Fudge barking.
She found a black bear holding the dachshund like a salmon, biting the back of its neck, according to the Juneau Empire.
Fearing for her dog's life, Collins went up to the bear and punched its snout until it let go of the animal. Collins' boyfriend then chased the bear until it disappeared into the bushes.
Collins said instincts got a hold of her.
"It was a stupid thing but I couldn't help it," she said. "I know you're not supposed to do that but I didn't want my dog to be killed," Collins told the Jeneau Empire.
Fudge's injuries were minor, and the dog seemed to be more shaken up than anything, The Associated Press reports.
Collins said there have been recent bear sightings in her neighborhood. The bear that attacked her dog even returned on Tuesday, she told Reuters.
The bears might be venturing into neighborhoods because they're hungry, Neil Barton, a biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told Reuters. Juneau's berry crop has been poor this year, and the berries are a big source of food for the animals, he said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/01/brooke-collins-punches-bear-to-save-dog_n_945400.html#s348076&title=Woman_Punches_Bear
Showing posts with label bear attacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bear attacks. Show all posts
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Monday, October 25, 2010
Bear attacks surge in Japan, environmental change blamed
Bear attacks have shot up in Japan this year and sightings of the animals have spiked, a trend blamed on climatic changes and shifting land use patterns, officials and media reports said Wednesday.
At least four people were killed and 80 wounded in bear attacks between April and September in the island-nation, much of which is covered in mountain forests, topping last year's total of 64 attacks, said broadcaster NHK.
Some 400 bears were shot dead near human-populated areas by authorised hunters on Japan's far-northern island of Hokkaido alone, where two people were mauled to death by bears earlier this year, a local official said.
In the mountainous central prefecture of Fukushima, northeast of Tokyo, more than 150 bears were shot dead after they encroached on residential areas.
Some wildlife experts have blamed a record heat wave this summer which impacted the omnivores' natural food sources and sent the Asiatic black bears foraging for food in more densely populated farming and residential areas.
"The extremely hot summer and other climatic factors may have led to a shortage of acorns or nuts in woodlands this year," said Tatsuo Sato, an official of the Fukushima prefectural government.
In some areas habitat destruction is blamed for forcing the bears into closer contact with humans. In other parts, farms are being abandoned and reclaimed by nature, reducing buffer zone with the bears' natural habitats.
In the latest reported encounter, police and hunters went on the hunt Wednesday in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto prefecture, after a one-metre (three-foot) tall bear was sighted in a residential area. Noone was injured.
Another bear was hit by a train on Tuesday in Shiga prefecture, central Japan, a railway company official said.
"We should be fully aware that bears are expanding their range into our living areas," said an official in Hokkaido, which is home to 1,800-3,600 bears.
He also offered some safety advice to local residents: "In the unfortunate case of a bear encounter, all we should do is look steadily into its eyes and move away slowly without running".
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/bear-attacks-surge-in-japan-environmental-change-blamed-2115188.html
At least four people were killed and 80 wounded in bear attacks between April and September in the island-nation, much of which is covered in mountain forests, topping last year's total of 64 attacks, said broadcaster NHK.
Some 400 bears were shot dead near human-populated areas by authorised hunters on Japan's far-northern island of Hokkaido alone, where two people were mauled to death by bears earlier this year, a local official said.
In the mountainous central prefecture of Fukushima, northeast of Tokyo, more than 150 bears were shot dead after they encroached on residential areas.
Some wildlife experts have blamed a record heat wave this summer which impacted the omnivores' natural food sources and sent the Asiatic black bears foraging for food in more densely populated farming and residential areas.
"The extremely hot summer and other climatic factors may have led to a shortage of acorns or nuts in woodlands this year," said Tatsuo Sato, an official of the Fukushima prefectural government.
In some areas habitat destruction is blamed for forcing the bears into closer contact with humans. In other parts, farms are being abandoned and reclaimed by nature, reducing buffer zone with the bears' natural habitats.
In the latest reported encounter, police and hunters went on the hunt Wednesday in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto prefecture, after a one-metre (three-foot) tall bear was sighted in a residential area. Noone was injured.
Another bear was hit by a train on Tuesday in Shiga prefecture, central Japan, a railway company official said.
"We should be fully aware that bears are expanding their range into our living areas," said an official in Hokkaido, which is home to 1,800-3,600 bears.
He also offered some safety advice to local residents: "In the unfortunate case of a bear encounter, all we should do is look steadily into its eyes and move away slowly without running".
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/bear-attacks-surge-in-japan-environmental-change-blamed-2115188.html
Bear attacks surge in Japan, environmental change blamed
Bear attacks have shot up in Japan this year and sightings of the animals have spiked, a trend blamed on climatic changes and shifting land use patterns, officials and media reports said Wednesday.
At least four people were killed and 80 wounded in bear attacks between April and September in the island-nation, much of which is covered in mountain forests, topping last year's total of 64 attacks, said broadcaster NHK.
Some 400 bears were shot dead near human-populated areas by authorised hunters on Japan's far-northern island of Hokkaido alone, where two people were mauled to death by bears earlier this year, a local official said.
In the mountainous central prefecture of Fukushima, northeast of Tokyo, more than 150 bears were shot dead after they encroached on residential areas.
Some wildlife experts have blamed a record heat wave this summer which impacted the omnivores' natural food sources and sent the Asiatic black bears foraging for food in more densely populated farming and residential areas.
"The extremely hot summer and other climatic factors may have led to a shortage of acorns or nuts in woodlands this year," said Tatsuo Sato, an official of the Fukushima prefectural government.
In some areas habitat destruction is blamed for forcing the bears into closer contact with humans. In other parts, farms are being abandoned and reclaimed by nature, reducing buffer zone with the bears' natural habitats.
In the latest reported encounter, police and hunters went on the hunt Wednesday in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto prefecture, after a one-metre (three-foot) tall bear was sighted in a residential area. Noone was injured.
Another bear was hit by a train on Tuesday in Shiga prefecture, central Japan, a railway company official said.
"We should be fully aware that bears are expanding their range into our living areas," said an official in Hokkaido, which is home to 1,800-3,600 bears.
He also offered some safety advice to local residents: "In the unfortunate case of a bear encounter, all we should do is look steadily into its eyes and move away slowly without running".
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/bear-attacks-surge-in-japan-environmental-change-blamed-2115188.html
At least four people were killed and 80 wounded in bear attacks between April and September in the island-nation, much of which is covered in mountain forests, topping last year's total of 64 attacks, said broadcaster NHK.
Some 400 bears were shot dead near human-populated areas by authorised hunters on Japan's far-northern island of Hokkaido alone, where two people were mauled to death by bears earlier this year, a local official said.
In the mountainous central prefecture of Fukushima, northeast of Tokyo, more than 150 bears were shot dead after they encroached on residential areas.
Some wildlife experts have blamed a record heat wave this summer which impacted the omnivores' natural food sources and sent the Asiatic black bears foraging for food in more densely populated farming and residential areas.
"The extremely hot summer and other climatic factors may have led to a shortage of acorns or nuts in woodlands this year," said Tatsuo Sato, an official of the Fukushima prefectural government.
In some areas habitat destruction is blamed for forcing the bears into closer contact with humans. In other parts, farms are being abandoned and reclaimed by nature, reducing buffer zone with the bears' natural habitats.
In the latest reported encounter, police and hunters went on the hunt Wednesday in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto prefecture, after a one-metre (three-foot) tall bear was sighted in a residential area. Noone was injured.
Another bear was hit by a train on Tuesday in Shiga prefecture, central Japan, a railway company official said.
"We should be fully aware that bears are expanding their range into our living areas," said an official in Hokkaido, which is home to 1,800-3,600 bears.
He also offered some safety advice to local residents: "In the unfortunate case of a bear encounter, all we should do is look steadily into its eyes and move away slowly without running".
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/bear-attacks-surge-in-japan-environmental-change-blamed-2115188.html
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