Bear that attacked hiker may have been in no mood for interruption
Man might have stumbled onto a mating pair of ursines, wildlife officials say.
State game wardens say a hiker who was attacked by a bear in the Sierra Madre foothills Monday might have unintentionally interrupted a pair of mating animals.
According to Sierra Madre police and state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials, Dan Richman was walking on a trail about two miles north of Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park near George’s Cabin when a bear appeared ahead of him and stood on its hind legs.
Richman said he turned around to leave and saw a second bear, which attacked.
Fish and Wildlife spokesman Andrew Hughan said in an email that a game warden believed the bears “may have been a mating pair that was interrupted.”
“The hiker probably just surprised the bears and they reacted the way an animal with teeth and claws does, attack,” Hughan said.
In an interview with KTLA-TV Channel 5, Richman, 53, said he was “freaked out” after spotting the first bear but was trapped by the one that approached him from behind.
“At that point I was trapped,” Richman said. “I yelled at the top of my lungs in an attempt to scare it, and it seemed to work and it started to run up the mountain.”
Richman said he tried to run past the bear blocking his escape but he wasn’t fast enough.
“He first grabbed my wrist, put his mouth around the back of my neck. I just stayed really, really still,” Richman said. “It was the only chance I had. It’s hard to imagine until one attacks you and you just feel the strength in its jaws and its body.”
The bear eventually lost interest and walked away. After making sure the coast was clear, police said, Richman ran back to his home at the bottom of the trail and called 911.
He was hospitalized with puncture wounds, deep scratches and bruises.
Hughan said it didn’t appear Richman did anything to provoke the attack.
“Bad luck,” Hughan said. “Wrong time, wrong place.”
Game wardens searching the area spotted a bear but it ran away, Hughan said. Officials estimate the bear that attacked Richman was a full-grown adult, at least 3 years old. The bear was probably not tagged, and if it is caught it will be euthanized, Hughan said.