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Tag: bear attack

  • Caitlyn Kovacs and Darsh Patel, Rutgers Students, Die on Sunday in Unrelated Incidents

    Students and staff at Rutgers University are in mourning after the sudden deaths of two of their own.

    19-year-old Caitlyn Kovacs was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital after she appeared to be “in distress” at a party at the Delta Kappa Epsilon house early Sunday morning. She was pronounced dead at 3:19 a.m.

    Although an official cause of death is yet to be determined, alcohol is believed to have played a part after police reports indicated that Kovacs drank too much at the gathering.

    “We are deeply saddened to report the passing of Caitlyn Kovacs,” said Rutgers President Robert Barchi in a statement. “Her passing over the weekend is a tragic loss to her family, her friends, and the entire Rutgers community.

    “I know this is a difficult time for everyone. We are offering grief counseling at two locations today at 7 pm. Staff will be available for counseling at the Student Activities Center and in the College Avenue Student Center. Our counselors can provide support services, understanding, and assistance to help anyone in the student body better cope with this situation.”

    Kovacs graduated from South Brunswick High School in 2013 and was studying animal science at Rutgers’ School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

    “‘She was always involved in planning pep rallies and the powder puff games and stuff like that,” Aaron Laserna, friend of Kovac, told reporters. ”She had a lot of energy and always had a smile on her face. She was always happy and fun to be around. I can’t believe she’s gone.”

    At this time no charges have been filed against Delta Kappa Epsilon or any of the 55 Rutgers members but the incident remains under investigation.

    Doug Laphner, president of the Rutgers chapter of DKE, said in a statement, “On behalf of the International Fraternity of Delta Kappa Epsilon and the Brothers of our chapter at Rutgers University, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Caitlyn Kovacs. We also wish to extend our sympathies to the students of Rutgers University as they endure this time of grief and misfortune. As the investigation of the incident is ongoing, Delta Kappa Epsilon is fully cooperating with local and county authorities.”

    This wouldn’t be the first time that a chapter in this fraternity has faced controversy. In 2011, the DKE chapter at Yale was banned from conducting fraternity activities on campus, including recruiting, after a pledge event that included sexually-explicit chanting.

    Sadly, almost immediately after the death of Kovacs, Rutgers lost another student.

    22-year-old Darsh Patel was hiking when he was attacked and killed by a black bear in Apshawa Preserve.

    Officials said that the 300-pound male was likely looking for food and was circling the victim’s body when sheriff officers and wildlife officials killed it.

    “This is a rare occurrence,” West Milford police Chief Timothy Storbeck said.

    Patel was a senior information technology and informatics major at Rutgers University.

  • Man Killed By Bear While Hiking, Say Police

    Many people mistakenly think of black bears as harmless.

    They are much smaller than grizzly or polar bears, however this fact does not negate the reality that black bears are far from helpless.

    They can cause harm to humans in certain situations.

    As a recent tragedy demonstrates, a black bear attack can also prove fatal.

    Police revealed on Monday that a man was killed by a bear late Sunday afternoon while hiking in northern New Jersey.

    Darsh Patel and four friends were hiking in a heavily wooded area when they encountered a black bear. The horrified hikers soon realized that the animal was following them.

    The group scattered.

    When the hikers later regrouped, it was realized that the 22-year-old Edison, New Jersey native was missing.

    The police were notified and nearly two hours later the body of the victim was discovered.

    Law enforcement officials stated that there was sufficient evidence to indicate that Patal was the victim of a fatal bear attack.

    A black bear found at the scene of the incident was shot and killed.

    What’s most startling about this tragic situation is that it marks the first time a man has been killed by a black bear in the state of New Jersey since 1852.

    A total of 63 people in North America have been killed by black bears since 1900.

    One study suggests that the black bears most likely to engage in fatal attacks are predatory males.

    In fact of all the predatory black bears responsible for fatal attacks on humans, 92 percent were male.

    Black bears tend to be seen by members of the public as garbage-raiding pests; hilarious clowns more likely to recline in your backyard hammock than express aggressive and dangerous behavior.

    This story will serve as an unfortunate reminder that it’s important to always watch out for potentially dangerous wild animals if you’re in an area they inhabit.

    Though black bears tend to fear and flee from humans, it’s important to NEVER underestimate their wild nature.

  • Bear Attacks Woman In Florida, Now Innocent Bears Being Killed

    A Florida woman recovering from an attack by a black bear in her garage over the weekend is thankful to be alive. But was it the bear’s fault?

    Terri Frana, 44, needed 30 staples in her scalp and 10 stitches in her forehead after a 200-pound bear attacked her on Saturday in Lake Mary, Fla., a suburb of Orlando.

    “I can’t close my eyes and not think about it, see it, feel it, but that will go away in time and I’m here,’’ Frana told NBC News. “I’m here for my kids.”

    Historically, bears in Florida are not known to attack humans. A December incident in which a woman was mauled by a bear near Wekiva Springs State Park is the most serious to date.

    Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission faced public outcry when it euthanized two bears caught in traps after the Wekiva attack. Those bears were killed even though their DNA tests revealed neither was involved in the mauling.

    It is springtime; the bears are hungry and simply looking for food. Since humans have encroached upon their habitat leaving their food sources nearly diminished, it is only logical that they go to places where they might find food. It is a well known fact that the residents near Mary, Florida, have been feeding the bears, making them more likely to come into neighborhoods in search of food. Bears are not normally aggressive, unless provoked or frightened.

    FWC issued a warning to residents, to allow them plenty of time to prepare for their visitation, i.e., leaving trash cans covered, not leaving garage doors open where trash can be accessed, keeping children close to home, etc.

    However, Florida wildlife officials said on Monday they have killed five bears after this woman was attacked.

    Terri’s husband, Frank Frana, said his wife was sitting on the back porch at about 7:45 p.m. when she noticed a pair of bears running in the area. She was concerned because two of her children, 10 and 11, had just ridden to a neighbor’s home on their bikes, so she went to check on them.

    When she got to the garage, “she noticed five bears going through garbage that they had pulled out of the garage,” Frana said. “One of the bears raised and knocked her down (what was she doing so close to them?) The bear mauled her for a short period of time, and somehow she broke free.”

    Experts stated that if the woman would have backed out slowly, and let them be, the attack most likely would not have occurred – however, she frightened them, and they felt threatened.

    Frana’s neighborhood is next to a state nature preserve, so interaction between bears and humans is not uncommon. She and her family, who have lived in the neighborhood for 10 years who should have known bear safety protocol, left the garage door open on Saturday night. That was asking for them to come in – bears are infamous for trash digging.

    Now, because of human mistake, bears are being shot, trapped and euthanized. Some may have babies in their dens, who will most likely die of starvation without their mothers. Humans must try to understand wildlife and be respectful of them, before committing to living in or near their habitats.

    “The fact that we have come across so many bears with so little fear of humans indicates that these bears are highly habituated and are regularly receiving food from people,” said Dave Telesco, the FWC’s Bear Program coordinator. “Our staff is dedicated to wildlife conservation. Having to put down these bears is a very difficult decision, but it’s the right decision to ensure public safety. Unfortunately, the saying is true: ‘a fed bear is a dead bear.’”

    This was a case of a human making an error in judgment, and innocent bears are being killed as a result.

    Image via YouTube

  • Florida Bear Attack Leaves Woman Injured But Alive

    A Florida woman was mauled after encountering a bear while walking her dogs near her home. The woman’s face was wounded in the attack and she ran to a neighbor for help as soon as she was able to free herself from the bear. The neighbor called 911 and said that the woman’s face was so bloody that he could not even tell how old she was.

    Florida Fish and Wildlife officials are refusing to call the mauling an attack until they can get more information about the incident and the events leading up to it. Although bears do live in Florida, they are usually too afraid of people and dogs to approach them. However, bears will defend themselves and their young if they feel threatened.

    Florida Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Karen Parker said,

    “Bears are very, very elusive. They’re pretty much more afraid of you than you are of them, and normally when they see a human and they’ve not been fed and have not been habituated — they’re going to run away. They don’t want to encounter us any more than we want to encounter them.”

    The incident occurred in Longwood, Florida, an area inhabited by black bears. Florida residents often report black bear sightings, but very few report encounters. Bears lived in Longwood long before it was populated by humans, so it is understandable that they would still frequent the area.

    Residents believe that the bears are becoming less shy and more willing to chance an encounter with humans to obtain food that they find in trash cans and dumpsters throughout the city.

    Nobody witnessed the mauling and the victim is unable to talk to provide investigators with details of the incident. Florida Fish and Wildlife officials were able to capture a young bear in the area and are testing its DNA with that found on the victim, to determine if it may have been the bear involved in the mauling.

    Image from Wikimedia Commons.

  • Michigan 7th Grader ATTACKED by Bear

    A 12-year-old girl was attacked by a black bear while jogging near her home in Cadillac, Michigan, an area approximately 200 miles northwest of Detroit. The 7th grader said she was immediately in fear for her life.

    “It clawed me and it was growling,” she said. “It was scary.”

    Abby Wetherell said she was coming home from her grandfather’s nearby cabin when she saw the bear; she escaped the initial attack, but was then knocked down for a second time.

    “It was running toward me,” she said. “I ran as fast as I could, but it got me and took me down.”

    Her father, Chris Wetherell, said he grabbed his gun after hearing his daughter scream and then immediately ran outside to help. It was a neighbor who helped the girl to safety.

    Wetherell suffered 100 stitches after being flown to a nearby hospital. She had deep cuts on her thigh and back, according to a report.

    In an effort to test it for disease, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources set traps to capture and kill the animal. Officials say they simply are not sure why the animal attacked her. They reportedly already killed a bear approximately 2 miles from the Wetherell home, but have yet to confirm whether or not it was, in fact, the same bear.

    Officials have been seemingly hit with a rash of bear attacks in recently years. According to one report, bear attacks rise in proportion to the growth of the human population. A wildlife management study says that between the years 1900 and 2009, 63 people were killed in 59 different incidents across the U.S. and Canada. But they say bears will generally not engage with humans if they can help it.

    “Black bears are generally fearful of humans and will usually leave if they become aware that people are present,” one official said.