Fatal attacks by American black bear on people: 1900–2009

[Dan Yeruski]

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.72/abstract

Fatal attacks by American black bear on people: 1900–2009†
1. Stephen Herrero1,*,
2. Andrew Higgins2,
3. James E. Cardoza3,
4. Laura I. Hajduk3and
5. Tom S. Smith4

At least 63 people were killed in 59 incidents by non-captive black bear (Ursus americanus) during 1900–2009. Fatal black bear attacks occurred in Canada and Alaska (n = 49) and in the lower 48 states (n = 14). There were 3.5 times as many fatal attacks in Canada and Alaska but only 1.75 times as many black bears, and much less human contact for black bears in Canada and Alaska. There was a weak positive correlation (rs = 0.56, P ≤ 0.000) between the estimated size of a bear population within a given jurisdiction and the number of fatal black bear attacks. Some jurisdictions had no fatal black bear attacks but had large estimated black bear populations. Of fatal attacks, 86% (54 of 63, 1.08/yr) occurred between 1960 and 2009. There was positive linear relationship between the number of fatal black bear attacks per decade and human population size in the United States and Canada per decade (r2 = 0.92, β = 0.000, P ≤ 0.001). Of fatal attacks, 91% (49 of 54) occurred on parties of 1 or 2 persons. In 38% (15 of 40) of incidents, peoples' food or garbage probably influenced the bear being in the attack location. We judged that the bear involved acted as a predator in 88% (49 of 56) of fatal incidents. Adult (n = 23) or subadult (n = 10) male bears were involved in 92% (33 of 36) of fatal predatory incidents, reflecting biological and behavioral differences between male and female bears. That most fatal black bear attacks were predatory and were carried out by 1 bear shows that females with young are not the most dangerous black bears. As a result of our research agencies managing black bear can more accurately understand the risk of being killed by a black bear, and can communicate this to the public. With training, people can learn to recognize the behaviors of a bear considering them as prey and can act to deter predation. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

[Ryan Smith]

"That most fatal black bear attacks were predatory and were carried out by 1 bear shows that females with young are not the most dangerous black bears"

Agree. I've personally seen and heard other reports of black bear mothers abandoning their cubs when humans approached. Not to say that will happen 100% of the time of course, but it was strange to see for sure.

Ryan

[Scott S]

Wow, as an ecologist, I can only say that there is some AWFUL logic in that abstract. You might be more likely to be killed by a male bear than a female with cubs, but for me the only question that I care about is: which is more likely to attack? These guys didn't ask or answer that question but jumped to the conclusion that males are worse because they kill more people.

Maybe the data don't exist to determine which sex is more likely to attack, but jumping to the conclusion that males are more dangerous is stupid and is going to get people hurt if they read this and decide that a female with cubs isn't a threat.

Oy, the stupid burns.

[Buck Nelson]

That should be the real takeaway.

In the U.S. as many people die every 12 MINUTES as have been killed by black bears in a CENTURY.

[Dan Yeruski]

quote:

As a result of our research agencies managing black bear can more accurately understand the risk of being killed by a black bear, and can communicate this to the public. With training, people can learn to recognize the behaviors of a bear considering them as prey and can act to deter predation. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

[Buck Nelson]

If people write a paper on risk, they will, with few exceptions, offer ways to mitigate risk, no matter how low.

The only way to understand the level of risk is to quantify it.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

After seeing this post, I looked up bear/car incident in just Yosemite alone

"This year, 17 bears have been hit by vehicles! (25 bears were hit by cars last year.)Twelve bears have been hit by vehicles since July 12 (on every major road in the park). Of the 12 bears hit in the past two weeks, four were found dead on scene. The rest were not located; so their fates are unknown. Please protect wildlife by obeying speed limits and paying attention to roadsides while driving."

[Dan Yeruski]

a quote from google:

Every now and then, there comes a moment where you hear something so outrageous that it feels like you’ve been grabbed by the ears and lifted right off the ground.

One of those moments came last week in a memo from Yosemite National Park that reported that 25 bears have been hit by cars this year in the park. That’s one for every week of summer. In addition, about 10,000 deer a year are hit and killed on California roadways.

This is a testament to an issue that gets worse every year: Many people seem to bring the city with them when they go on vacation at parks and in rural areas. Instead of leaving the city at home, they drive too fast, don’t pay attention and put everything in their path at risk.

Fast drivers who don’t pay attention — or know how to avoid hitting wildlife – are nailing deer, squirrels and bears at high rates. That can be corrected with a little know-how.

This story came about when Caitlin Lee-Roney, a wildlife specialist at Yosemite, provided the details of one of the park’s great successes: the reduction of damage from food-raiding bears. This year, there have 154 incidents that caused $7,113 in damage (and last year only 114 incidents). Compare that to 1998, when 1,479 incidents caused $631,143 in damage.

[Ken Thompson]

Well killing them with cars to reduce incidences of bears getting human food seems a bit extreme and not so practical. Is the insurance industry behind this practice?, lol.

Seems to work, no denying it.

[David Thomas]

Sure, bears get hit by cars. But the reverse also happens. A friend was "T-boned" by a black bear in Yosemite that ran out of the woods, bounced off his side door and continued on.

He called it in, said a bear hit his car, and the NPS staff kept trying to get him to say he'd hit the bear. If a human drove into the side of your car, would you say you hit them?

[Tipi Walter]

Jon Fong says
"Please protect wildlife by obeying speed limits and paying attention to roadsides while driving."

No, here's a better idea: Close the dang roads thru Yosemite and get the fat rolling couch potatoes out of their blasted cars and get them on foot and walking and stop their desire for a gawking no-calorie nature fix.

[Cayenne Redmonk]

Yes, No need for roads when helicopter tours and landing pads could provide a road free way to enable the handicapped and enfeebled to see the Views, while reducing bear deaths by cars.

[David Thomas]

I wonder how many of the incidents are in the evening or at night. Everyone drives faster than their headlights illuminate at night and mostly gets away with it because roads are predictable and signage and lane markings are reflective. Black bears are not (hence their name and not, say "day-glo bear" or "reflective bear").

This is brought home even more when a moose crosses the highway in front of you at night.

[David Ure]

"In the U.S. as many people die every 12 MINUTES as have been killed by black bears in a CENTURY."

I agree that there are a lot of things that can kill you daily and generally, bears aren't one of the sources. However, on a percentage basis, very little of the population ventures into bear territory.

[Dan Yeruski]

Nothing to worry about, the bear is now dead also ;)

http://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/trail-news/grizzly-kills-hiker-near-yellowstone/

[Buck Nelson]

How did this move from black bears to grizzlies?

The death toll from bears: polar, grizzly, black, in the U.S. is now 1 since September of last year.

There have been over 300 deaths from drowning in bathtubs since then. http://danger.mongabay.com/injury_death.htm

[David Ure]

"There have been over 300 deaths from drowning in bathtubs since then. http://danger.mongabay.com/injury_death.htm"

Context is important. I wager vastly more of the population takes baths than hikes in bear country. Poor analogy.

(waiting patiently for the automotive death analogy)

[Buck Nelson]

Give us a proper analogy.

[Jerry Adams]

scale by number of people, from Dave's link:

15,000 people died in car accidents

1 person killed by bear

Grabbed out of air because I'm lazy – 100 times as many people are in cars compared to hiking, scale by that – 150 times as likely to be killed in car accident

11,000 people died by assault by firearm. 17,000 people killed themself with firearm.

which takes us to the law that says "all threads eventually degrade to 2A argument"

[David Ure]

Jerry, now you must add how many times someone ventures into the backcountry each day v.s. the number of times that same person drives their car. i.e. the rate will increae the probability.

; )

Or we could compare the number of deaths from infected toenails annually to add to Buck's commentary.

[Dan Yeruski]

Texting while walking blamed in the nationwide increase of pedestrian deaths
Federal study says the number of pedestrians who were killed rose from 4,109 to 4,432 in 2011
Analysts list texting while walking as a major contributor
Federal public safety initiative launched and some towns have started fining people $85 each time they catch them texting while walking

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 16:07 EST, 9 August 2013 | Updated: 19:47 EST, 9 August 2013

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2388351/Texting-walking-blamed-nationwide-increase-pedestrian-deaths.html#ixzz3iKhV7Vrk
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[Jerry Adams]

You guys need to go out more, breath the fresh air, get your blood flowing,… : )

[Jerry Adams]

I like those TV public service announcements

First they show a crash, then slow motion backwards to where the mother is texting a photo of her child, then go forward at regular speed to the crash

[Dan Yeruski]

Waiting for something exciting to happen :-))))

thread drift was to add excitement :-)

[Author]

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