Bear attacks family dog

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/08/2011 (5207 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cottagers in Whiteshell Provincial Park are concerned following an aggressive attack on a family pet by a black bear.

Sassy, a pound mutt, lived up to her name Tuesday morning, taking on a full-grown black bear at her owner’s cottage on Jessica Lake.

Sandi Cross, Sassy’s grateful owner, said she owes her life to the 13-year-old dog for distracting the large bear and cub she encountered Tuesday morning as she headed outside to change the laundry.

“It’s worrying, because I believe if Sassy had not run out there then that bear would have been on me,” Cross said Wednesday. The pooch will likely require expensive surgery for wounds sustained when the bear bit into the dog’s neck and head.

Cross was leaving her cottage in the early morning hours Tuesday when her dog raced ahead and was immediately attacked by a large black bear. While the bear dragged and bit the dog, Cross attempted to drive off it off by yelling and throwing her shoes.

Eventually, the bear released Sassy and the dog was able to hobble back inside the cottage.

But the bear would only retreat to a nearby tree, even after Cross’s husband fired a few warning shots with a pellet gun.

“He stayed up there for 10 hours,” said Cross. Ordinarily, the family takes precautions to deter bears by keeping the property garbage-free, she said. But they admitted that on Tuesday morning there had been a some garbage left near the cottage.

Still, the Crosses were hoping for a more aggressive response from Manitoba Conservation, who did not visit the property when they called Tuesday.

“Why they would choose to ignore a threatening black bear and its cub is bewildering,” said daughter, Brianna Cross. “This black bear is currently in the Whiteshell Provincial Park attacking anything that threatens its food or offspring.”

Manitoba Conservation officers said Wednesday several factors are considered when assessing the severity of a bear report.

Bear reports are typically divided into three categories, ranging from benign sightings requiring no follow-up by conservation officers to situations where a bear is becoming a nuisance by interfering with property. Finally, there are rare cases that warrant destroying an aggressive or threatening bear.

It is unclear which category the Cross family incident would have fallen under, but destroying a bear is considered a final resort when all other options have been exhausted, officers said.

“The first thing we would do would be to ask people to get rid of attractants,” said provincial wildlife manager Kelly Leavesley, including garbage, bird feeders, pet food and food left on barbecue grills. “And in some cases, officers will come out and trap the bears and relocate them.

“But we find that usually if you remove the attractant, the bear just goes away.”

Provincial officials say conservation officers have been busy responding to bear reports this season in the province’s popular cottage region in eastern Manitoba.

“Overall right now, it seems like we’re being kept pretty busy with bear complaints,” said Leavesley, who added it isn’t clear yet if there have been more bear reports this year over other years.

Bear reports so far this season in eastern Manitoba are comparable to numbers seen in previous years, with five bears destroyed and seven relocated. Provincewide numbers have not yet been made available.

But one factor concerning provincial officials is a lack of natural food sources — a poor berry crop has driven bears to seek food from inhabited areas.

“When the berries dry up, you tend to see more bears,” said Leavesley. “I wouldn’t consider this a real problem year yet.”

meghan.potkins@freepress.mb.ca

The bear facts:

Bear season runs from April to November.

 

Last year in Manitoba:

603 bear reports across the province.

89 bears were trapped.

63 bears were relocated.

65 bears had to be destroyed.

 

Whiteshell region this year so far:

Five bears destroyed.

Seven bears trapped and relocated.

 

Smelly items that will attract bears:

Bird feeders: High-calorie seeds and nuts look like lunch to bears.

Garbage: Regularly remove garbage from your property or campsite and clean bins with bleach.

Dog and pet food: Keep that kibble inside the house.

Barbecues: Clean your grill as soon as possible after cooking meals.