The Black Bear as a Predator of Man

Abstract

There are many written accounts and stories of encounters between humans and bears in which the animal has appeared to be the aggressor. In practically all the instances on record which I have been able to find there have been extenuating circumstances. Most often the attacks have been made by tame bears who had lost their fear of man by close association. Park or zoo bears have been guilty of such attacks on several occasions. In a number of instances, female bears with cubs have threatened, charged, and actually attacked humans presumably because of their mother's protective instinct. Bears wounded by hunters or chased by dogs have many times turned and attacked their tormentors. Seton relates one example among all the cases which he investigated in which a wild bear attacked, without provocation, a human being, apparently with the idea of obtaining food, although the victim was not actually eaten. It is the only case which this noted authority has accepted as authentic. It took place in Northern Canada more than forty years ago (1908). Near Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, on July 7, 1948, there occurred an instance of an attack by a bear on a human which as far as can be ascertained is without parallel except for Seton's account. All the circumstances and conditions surrounding this situation indicate that here was an example of true predation by a black bear on the human species in which the objective was simply to obtain food. The tragic aspects of this case are such that it is reported with some hesitation, and it has been intentionally delayed so that the passage of time might alleviate to some extent the mental anguish of those intimately connected by close relationship to the unfortunate victim. There seems to be no reasonable objection now to a factual report more than a year later of this unique occurrence. The mother of the three-year-old victim of this savage attack gave an account to a forest ranger immediately afterwards. Her own words tell the story more graphically than does a second-hand account. It is quoted verbatim. The account of Mrs. Arthur Pomranky follows: