Bear attacks how many

Despite these harrowing reports, bear attacks are statistically uncommon. A report published on Nature. However, the same report found that only 24 people were killed by grizzlies in all of North America between and , or 1. So, the question becomes: is this uptick in bear attacks the beginning of a growing trend or just a freak occurrence? The team, which operates under the US Geological Survey , is an interdisciplinary group of scientists and biologists responsible for long-term monitoring and research efforts on grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

While the recent increase in attacks could result from more unprepared people being in bear country see this video of a woman at Yellowstone who came close to being attacked by a grizzly , van Manen said the increase would be relatively slight. We do not have any evidence from data that supports such notions. Regardless, since April, there have been a shocking six fatal bear encounters in North America, including two black bear attacks and four grizzly attacks.

Here are the details:. He survived the initial attack and was able to call after being savagely mauled. According to the Billings Gazette , Mock was still holding a canister of bear spray that he used during the attack. In addition to his other injuries, his left hand had severe defensive wounds. The bear, which was defending a moose carcass when it attacked Mock, continued to circle him as he waited for help, which took nearly an hour to arrive.

Weather conditions kept a medical helicopter grounded, so once rescuers got Mock to a road via a toboggan and a snowmobile, he was then transported miles by ambulance to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and underwent extensive surgery. He suffered a massive and fatal stroke two days later due to his injuries, according to the Gazette.

A moose carcass was found 50 yards from where Mock was attacked. Laney Malavolta, 39, of Durango, Colorado, was discovered missing by her boyfriend, Justin Rangel, after taking her dogs for a walk.

The dogs returned home, but Malavolta did not. When Rangel searched for her, he found her mauled body in a wooded area just north of Durango near County Road and called They also found bear scat and hair at the scene, according to the Durango Herald.

All three were euthanized. This has led to increased interactions between humans and bears, and in some cases, these interactions lead to violence. It is too early to tell whether this year will be unique in that regard or not. Trend or not, brushing up on your bear safety before recreating in grizzly country is always a good idea. The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week.

Photo: Thomas Lipke. Backpacker Newsletter The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week. Globally, attack victims were almost exclusively adults, and most attacks occurred while the person was alone, during the summer, and in daylight hours. The bear attacks at the Soda Butte Campground just outside Yellowstone National Park in involved a sow grizzly killing a man camped alone in his tent, and injuring two other people in other campsites the same night, in what was deemed predatory attacks.

Some Greater Yellowstone bear advocates point to Romania as an example of bear-human coexistence, noting that Romania is roughly the same size as the Yellowstone region, but hosts a bear population 10 times more numerous. For decades, Romanian gamekeepers tended to hundreds if not thousands of feeding stations for bears, keeping bears numerous and fat so that the dictator and his party elite could have trophies to shoot from the comfort of nearby blinds — all the while the few remaining rural residents were prohibited from having guns.

After Ceausescu was deposed and executed in , hunting of brown bears was opened to rich foreigners willing to pay tens of thousands for a trophy, but that lasted only a few years. The hunting of any large carnivores in Romania was halted in , with few exceptions. More than 40 bear attacks on humans were recorded in Romania in , and three people have already died this year due to bear attacks. Half of the Romanian attacks in the year study involved bears attacking adults who were working outside; shepherds tending flocks, drovers with their cattle, and farmers working the landscape.

In many European countries, pepper spray is illegal or its use is tightly regulated. The researchers found at a global scale, bear attacks are more frequent in regions where the human density is lower and bear densities higher, and that attacks are also more frequent where recreational activities in bear areas are more common.

In Europe, that might be people hiking or gathering berries, but in Wyoming, it tends to be hunters seeking large game. Legal protection has resulted in recovery and expansion of brown bear populations worldwide, with more than , brown bears now in existence. The U. Speak softly, but avoid eye contact, and never run from a bear. If the bear charges, remain standing.

Carry bear spray and be ready to use it.