14ers.com

I am a little surprised that this has not been brought up yet. If I understood the news correctly, this was only the 4th known bear kill in Colorado history. Someone tell me I heard that wrong.

https://durangoherald.com/articles/374534

The article that I read also stated this was the 4th known bear attack death in Colorado history. Sad story for sure.

I have been following this news. I am curious what the end report/investigation comes out to be. This was tragic.

My condolences to the victim's family and loved ones. If the investigation determines it was the Mother bear it is a damned shame. Black bears rarely attack and it is quite likely she thought she was protecting her cubs from danger.

CPW just put out a press release stating that human remains were found in the stomachs of the mother bear and one of the yearlings, but not the other one.
https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/N ... ewsID=7779
Bears don't tend to often eat what they kill in defense, this seems like it may have been a predatory attack.

Wentzl wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 8:30 pm If I understood the news correctly, this was only the 4th known bear kill in Colorado history. Someone tell me I heard that wrong.

Tornadoman wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 8:33 pm The article that I read also stated this was the 4th known bear attack death in Colorado history.

There are stories of fatal bear attacks, mostly by grizzlies, in the 1800s into the early 1900s but those are difficult to verify.

prairiechicken wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 9:03 pm CPW just put out a press release stating that human remains were found in the stomachs of the mother bear and one of the yearlings, but not the other one.
https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/N ... ewsID=7779
Bears don't tend to often eat what they kill in defense, this seems like it may have been a predatory attack.

It definitely has happened though. And could have easily happened in this case. We need to know more about the two dogs and the entire interaction.
A black bear hunting people is ridiculously rare, then throw in a person with several dogs. We may never know.

prairiechicken wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 9:03 pm Bears don't tend to often eat what they kill in defense, this seems like it may have been a predatory attack.

Aren't black bears just opportunistic eaters though? As in, the attack was very likely defensive but then after the kill was made the bears may have just eaten because there was something to eat now in front of them.

Either way, scary and sad.

Actually black bear attacks in defense of cubs, despite the frequent statements about it, are also extremely rare, which makes this tragedy more puzzling.

CoHi591 wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 9:59 pm

prairiechicken wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 9:03 pm Bears don't tend to often eat what they kill in defense, this seems like it may have been a predatory attack.

Aren't black bears just opportunistic eaters though? As in, the attack was very likely defensive but then after the kill was made the bears may have just eaten because there was something to eat now in front of them.

Black bear attacks are rare, but when a black bear does attack, they are more likely to eat you than grizzlies.

Apparently, the most common fatal attack from a black bear is predatory (random article from Alaska, but mentioning black bear attacks in North America):

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article ... 011/05/11/

Study:

https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.co ... 02/jwmg.72

Fatalities are etrememly rare though.

In this case though, a mother with cubs was shot so it might be just as you say and was defensive this time

A lot of defensive bear attacks involve dogs and it seems that the victim had dogs, so this may have played a part too.

What an awful thing to happen. I hope that something like this doesn't happen again anytime soon. I'm assuming that the mother bear felt that her yearlings were threatened by the woman and the dogs and attacked the woman... I just hope that people will take extra caution around bears, they are cool creatures but they can be deadly.

prairiechicken wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 9:12 pm

Wentzl wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 8:30 pm If I understood the news correctly, this was only the 4th known bear kill in Colorado history. Someone tell me I heard that wrong.

Tornadoman wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 8:33 pm The article that I read also stated this was the 4th known bear attack death in Colorado history.

There are stories of fatal bear attacks, mostly by grizzlies, in the 1800s into the early 1900s but those are difficult to verify.

Very good point! I imagine there were some fatalities due to grizzlies in early Colorado history.