Calypso
New member
A 5-year-old boy hiking with his father and two sisters in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area yesterday was injured when a black bear took a swipe at the boy, wildlife officials said.
The 130-pound bear left four scratches -- each about 6 inches long -- across the boy's upper arm and back.
If the bear is caught, it will be killed under the state's one-strike-and-you're-out policy.
The man and his children were on a day hike up the steep, rocky Mount Tammany Trail in Knowlton Township when they spotted the black bear.
With the bear only about 10 feet away, the father tried to snap a few photographs. At one point, the man tossed a bagel at the animal, possibly to distract it or to get it to stay so he could try to photograph it.
The bear walked closer to the hikers, The animal started focusing on the children. It was looking at them and starting to circle them.
When the boy made a sudden move, the bear growled and raked its claw across the boy's left arm and shoulder blade, ripping his shirt and leaving bloody scratches.
The man used his back pack to push the bear away and told his kids to head down the trail. He started grabbing rocks and throwing them at the animal.
The bear would retreat, then move toward the man again, the Fish and Wildlife official said. The father threw more rocks and started shouting at the bear as he moved down the trial, keeping himself between the animal and the children.
That went on for about 200 yards, until the bear stopped.
"Fortunately, this guy was able to chase this bear off before it got worse," Officer Ivany of the NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife said. "This incident drives the point home: People need to educate themselves."
The bear, which matched sightings on the trail earlier in the month, is probably 2 or 3 years old. Its ears were tagged, possibly as a result of tracking research done by wildlife officials.
By late afternoon, more than a dozen wildlife officials and rangers were hunting for the bear in a 15-square-mile area on Mount Tammany.
The Delaware Water Gap, where yesterday's attack occurred, is considered prime bear territory.
"I put the blame for this directly on the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, because they just sat back and have done nothing to prevent it," said Stuart Chaifetz, of the League of Animal Protection Voters, a coalition of 10 animal-protection groups. "The state has done little to condition these bears properly."
The 130-pound bear left four scratches -- each about 6 inches long -- across the boy's upper arm and back.
If the bear is caught, it will be killed under the state's one-strike-and-you're-out policy.
The man and his children were on a day hike up the steep, rocky Mount Tammany Trail in Knowlton Township when they spotted the black bear.
With the bear only about 10 feet away, the father tried to snap a few photographs. At one point, the man tossed a bagel at the animal, possibly to distract it or to get it to stay so he could try to photograph it.
The bear walked closer to the hikers, The animal started focusing on the children. It was looking at them and starting to circle them.
When the boy made a sudden move, the bear growled and raked its claw across the boy's left arm and shoulder blade, ripping his shirt and leaving bloody scratches.
The man used his back pack to push the bear away and told his kids to head down the trail. He started grabbing rocks and throwing them at the animal.
The bear would retreat, then move toward the man again, the Fish and Wildlife official said. The father threw more rocks and started shouting at the bear as he moved down the trial, keeping himself between the animal and the children.
That went on for about 200 yards, until the bear stopped.
"Fortunately, this guy was able to chase this bear off before it got worse," Officer Ivany of the NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife said. "This incident drives the point home: People need to educate themselves."
The bear, which matched sightings on the trail earlier in the month, is probably 2 or 3 years old. Its ears were tagged, possibly as a result of tracking research done by wildlife officials.
By late afternoon, more than a dozen wildlife officials and rangers were hunting for the bear in a 15-square-mile area on Mount Tammany.
The Delaware Water Gap, where yesterday's attack occurred, is considered prime bear territory.
"I put the blame for this directly on the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, because they just sat back and have done nothing to prevent it," said Stuart Chaifetz, of the League of Animal Protection Voters, a coalition of 10 animal-protection groups. "The state has done little to condition these bears properly."
