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Last week I focused on animal attacks for the entire time. Well, there have been a few updates on a few of those attacks but I’ll keep this short and sweet.

First the animal attack at the Wesa-A-Geh-Ya story had more to it. Fortunately all the animals are going to be moved to another sanctuary in Kentucky. Hopefully it will be a good move for the animals.

In Colorado people are expressing more concern over the appearance of mountain lions in urban areas.

The woman who was attacked in British Columbia wants the person who hit the bear with a SUV to stop the bear attack to come forward so she can thank him. I somehow missed that part of the story–good thinking.

A boy survived a black bear attack in the Smokey mountains because his dad and brother fought it off.

As mentioned previously, black bear attacks are usually predatory and they seem to be getting more and more common.

I am working on an editorial calendar so you can know what to expect here at ArkAnimals.com. However, in the meantime…

I had to let you know that I read an excellent column piece this morning by Gordon Dillow over at the Orange County Register. You’ll have to read the entire piece but here is piece from near the end:

Sadly, according to state Fish and Game officials such false or mistaken reports of mountain lion attacks happen several times a year in California. In fact, they’re more common than actual attacks, the last of which in California occurred in January 2007.

But every reported attack that makes it into the news, even if it’s bogus, causes a spike in reports from people who may have seen a bobcat or a coyote or a feral cat and think they’ve been stalked by a mountain lion. And the resulting climate of fear can be potentially lethal to mountain lions.

This column coincides with the report of a mountain lion wandering down a street shortly before 2am upsetting residents not too far from where I live.

Neighbors reported seeing the same animal with a cub before and have claimed to have seen mountain lion tracks in the street.

Hmm, is the street dirt? And just how do they know they are lion prints?

The big joke in my area was that the cougar print of the local high school was really a dog paw print–and nobody but me seemed to know that (or maybe they didn’t want to point it out) until it made the front page of the local newspaper not too long ago.

Front page–no joke.

People don’t know and false reports are a problem.

My favorite news article to date was the story about the person who mistook a domestic cat for a mountain lion…if I remember right it was someone in law enforcement.

Doesn’t the average person know that there is a big difference between a small cat and a 150 pound lion?!

Forget I asked that.

Hesperia Animal Control is taking the reports but just a reminder–mountain lions live in a variety of habitats especially around here.

If residents stay out of the streets in the wee hours of the morning it should be okay–maybe the cat could help keep down crime. (Kidding, I’m kidding…but it might work!)

Over in Palmdale there was a report of a mountain lion attack on a horse and Fish & Game is investigating.

Should you be worried?

Not really. Just heed all the tips and hints that we all seem to have to repeat over and over again. If you don’t know what those are–I just concluded a whole week dedicated to animal attacks with links to animal attack prevention tips.

Click here for the posts categorized under animal attacks.

If you have any thoughts about this latest news–let me know in the comments area.

Today I thought I conclude this animal attack series with a few more accounts on cougar and bear incidents.

Of course, this week would not be complete without also including a few shark attack stories and other meanderings.

Urban Wildlife: Cougars

Here in California, urban wildlife (coyotes, bobcats, cougars) often prey on pets. At least this is the case in some of the areas I’ve lived.

Last week a dog (Buddy) was taken by a cougar from the yard in La Canada/Flintridge, California and the other, missing for six weeks, is feared to have met the same death. The owners recount the story in the news article. Heartbreaking.

Cougars are predators and so it isn’t a surprise to find them preying on pets. However, like coyotes who have been known to ignore pet owners and grab a pet for a meal, urban mountain lions seem to be getting more daring.

As I mentioned previously, humans unwittingly tend to provide snacks and water to attract animals which attracts the predators that prey on them.

Urban Wildlife: Bears

In the case of bears, garbage attracts them and they get territorial over the area providing the source of food–making them a danger.

It also creates a humans=food association which is never a good thing.

Dogs were also the victims of a black bear near Santa Barbara, California. Dry weather and the recent fires have driven wildlife into smaller areas and removed vast areas of natural resources and territories.

Then there is the disturbing trend of predatory attacks by black bears. Up in Canada, another aggressive black bear was shot and killed in the same neighborhood of Coquitlam, B.C. where a woman was attacked outside her home earlier this week.

Herrero, bear attack expert and author of Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (revised) estimated that on average, bears kill three people and seriously injure between five and 15 annually in North America. He was quoted as stating, “Overall the injury rates are very low considering the millions of interactions that occur each year,”

In the revised edition of Bear Attacks (first published in the mid-1980s) the causes and avoidance of attacks by brown (the grizzly is a brown bear) and black bears are examined based on scientific analysis of 414 detailed records of encounters between bears and people. Details and analysis of certain attacks and non-injurious interactions are included in this work.

In 2000, Herrero was interviewed by the Calgary Herald who reported that the number of bear attacks that year was among the highest since biologists began keeping records 28 years ago even though specific numbers were unavailable.

The rule of thumb has always been to play dead in grizzly bear incidents and to fight back in black bear incidents but there are always exceptions to the rule. I’ve blogged about prevention before and carrying and using bear deterrent may help you if faced with a cougar or bear encounter.

Cougars are stealthy but any tool is a good one.

BTW: Yellowstone’s bear man has some interesting notes and so does Herrero’s Eastern Slopes Grizzly Bear Project. I also liked the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Wildlife Black Bear Problems & Control page.

Shark Attacks & Other Musings

The Discovery Channel’s Shark Week just recently concluded. I love the series because it takes a look into all types of shark behavior, research, biology, and human encounters.

In my career span I’ve worked with a variety of animals and only two make me nervous in the wild.

Great White Sharks is one species on this list just because when I was a surfer I enjoyed night rides and was active at dawn and dust in areas where white sharks were known to frequent–it is a always a risk.

Scientists have come up with a bite measurement for the great white shark–1.8 tons of bone crunching force.

Yikes!

The measurement came from Sydney, Australia and you can read more about the finite element analysis here.

Not too long ago in Makaha, Hawaii a snorkeler was attacked by a shark. The Early Show also has a video up of their interviews with shark attack survivors.

If you are interesting in shark attacks you can get useful information from the International Shark Attack Files from the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Shark repellents, barriers (chain mail, cages) are some of the products you may have heard about but a new shark attack risk reduction product is on the market.

Shark Shield was developed in Australia, where they have a lot of problems with sharks.

The device can be mounted on the back of a surfboard or a kayak, or a lightweight neoprene model can be strapped to the calf of a diver. Cost range? $680 to $800.

The Shark Shield includes a rechargeable battery in a waterproof pack, transmitter, and rubber-coated antenna.

However, using these common sense tips to reduce your risk of shark attack is something you can do while you save money to buy the new device.

I hope you have enjoyed this week’s focus on animal attacks. Let me know your thoughts about it below.