Infant killed by bear in NY state

I hope more to follow...

1 posted on 08/19/2002 2:29:19 PM PDT by Conservababe

To: Conservobabe

Heard this too.....no details yet..don't know if it was at a state park or zoo.

2 posted on 08/19/2002 2:31:31 PM PDT by mystery-ak

To: Conservobabe

Probably up in the Catskills....
I have family up there and they are always having problems with the bears...Find them on their deck in the morning...
NeverGore

3 posted on 08/19/2002 2:32:45 PM PDT by nevergore

You are right. It was in the Catskills. The child was sitting in a stroller in a bungelow colony...and the bear just popped in and bit her in the head...there was no time to save her as everyone ran for cover...what a sad story

My condolences to the family

4 posted on 08/19/2002 2:37:11 PM PDT by tax hater

Adirondack State Park is over 6 million acres, lots of bear

5 posted on 08/19/2002 2:41:14 PM PDT by not-alone

omg...I can't imagine the horror of the parents seeing their baby killed. I am cring for them.

6 posted on 08/19/2002 2:42:05 PM PDT by Conservababe

To: Conservobabe

Interesting note: Grizzlies are generally the most feared members of the bear family, and for good reason -- they are more likely to attack humans than any other bears. However, grizzly bear attacks are often "provoked" in a sense that they attack humans out of fear (e.g., if you surprise them on a mountain trail) or to protect their young. For some reason, the smaller black bear is more likely than a grizzly to attack a human being for no reason whatsoever.

7 posted on 08/19/2002 2:43:01 PM PDT by Alberta's Child

Bears are not just at state parks and zoos. Hope the AK refers to Arkansas, we've seen first hand the trash that state produces.

There were so many bears in PA that they trapped some and re-located them before hunting season a few years back. Now they're all over the place.

8 posted on 08/19/2002 2:45:23 PM PDT by ReaganIsRight

To: Alberta's Child

the smaller black bear

NY black bears can get fairly large. They are used to people, and people treat them like teddy bears, go right up to them, feed cubs right out of their hand. Once in a while the bear gets annoyed, and who knows what can happen.

9 posted on 08/19/2002 2:50:34 PM PDT by RightWhale

10 posted on 08/19/2002 2:51:55 PM PDT by firebrand

To: Conservobabe

11 posted on 08/19/2002 2:52:36 PM PDT by Talkwire

To: Conservobabe

Arm infants, and kill bears!!!

Do it for the chill-ren!!!!

12 posted on 08/19/2002 2:55:41 PM PDT by Frohickey

Had a bear kill and eat an elderly woman in Columbus New Mexico last year.

13 posted on 08/19/2002 2:56:32 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim

"Smaller," of course, is a relative term. LOL.

14 posted on 08/19/2002 2:57:14 PM PDT by Alberta's Child

To: Alberta's Child

In relation to this event, it should be noted that a rabbit cry is very like a human baby cry. If you are a varmit caller, you would already know this.

It is very common in New Mexico to call bears by using varmit call of the rabbit distress type.

A baby's cry could also attract coyotes, hawks and owls. Never leave a baby off to the side while camping or out in open game areas.

15 posted on 08/19/2002 3:01:03 PM PDT by Deguello

My word, how do they ensure their childrens safety with bears on the deck?

16 posted on 08/19/2002 3:02:51 PM PDT by Conservababe

To: Conservobabe

Idiots feed bears. People then die. This is such sad news...I pray for strength to her parents.

17 posted on 08/19/2002 3:03:23 PM PDT by cake_crumb

To: Conservobabe

http://cbsnewyork.com/topstories/StoryFolder/story_1364547158_html
Bear Kills Infant
5-Month-Old Killed By Bear At Summer Bungalow Colony

Aug 19, 2002 5:19 pm US/Eastern

(CBS)-(FALLSBURG, N.Y. )-A bear killed an infant Monday afternoon as it tried to drag the girl into the woods, officials said.

The baby, Ester Schwimmer of Brooklyn, was snatched out of her stroller by the bear at the bungalow colony, police said.

Isaac Abraham, a community leader from Williamsburg in Brooklyn, said witnesses told him the 5-month-old girl was pronounced dead at a Ellenville Hospital upon arrival.

Mike Fraser, a state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman, said the baby was in a stroller in front of the porch with members of her family. The bear grabbed the stroller and the child, Fraser said.

The child was knocked out of the stroller and the bear tried to drag the child into the woods, Fraser said.

Her father was able to get her away from the bear, which reportedly ran up a tree. A short time later, DEC officers and police shot the bear.

The black bear was being taken to the DEC's laboratories just outside of Albany, Fraser said.

Abraham said people at the colony desperately tried to save the girl. ``People started chasing the bear, throwing rocks at it,'' he said.

Ward Stone, the state's chief pathologist, said the bear would be examined.

``Obviously, we'll be pursuing a rabies test at the earliest time,'' Stone said.

It was the first time in 34 year that Stone could remember a black bear killing a human. Black bears are the only native species in New York.

Stone said one bear from the Catskills tested positive for rabies in the recent past, the only time he has found rabies in that species.

``In all my many years, 34 summers, we've had them eat birdseed, get into trouble eating dog food in people's yards but black bears are just not noted for attacking humans,'' Stone said

Fallsburg is about 70 miles northwest of New York City.

Black bear sightings in the northeast are increasing. New Jersey state environmental officials say the bears continue to migrate from crowded habitats in northern areas.

The bears apparently have found a new home in the Sourlands of central New Jersey. The area includes the 17-mile-long Sourland Mountain Preserve and the valleys around it that jut through seven towns in Hunterdon, Mercer and Somerset counties.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife says there's been a rise in bear sightings in the area following decades of no sightings.

18 posted on 08/19/2002 3:03:26 PM PDT by Shermy

To: ReaganIsRight

Sorry...Ak=Alaska......Ar=Arkansas

19 posted on 08/19/2002 3:12:48 PM PDT by mystery-ak

To: Conservobabe

I go into Quetico Provincial Park for a canoe trip every year. There are bears up there. If there's an unusually agressive bear, it's reported. But, there are some rules that everyone is supposed to follow:

1) If a bear shows up, don't approach him/her, but make a lot of noise and they generally leave.
2) Make noise on the trail so that they hear you coming (usually my groaning and puffing serves for that).
3) Maintain campsite sanitation; don't have food around, don't burn food in your campfire, clean up food residues and pots/pans quickly, don't keep your food pack in your campsite.
4) If Mr. Bear shows up during meal time, Mr. Bear is generally going to eat, and you're going to go hungry. It's worth trying #1, but don't physically interpose yourself between Mr. Bear and a food source.

They're generally not real big on bear spray, etc. Follow the rules, and if a bear visits your campsite, find a new campsite.

20 posted on 08/19/2002 3:14:54 PM PDT by RonF

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