Bear Attacks Research Articles

Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus attacks in Kashmir Valley, India

Asiatic Black Bear attacks are reported rarely throughout the majority of their global range; however, this has not been the case in the Kashmir Valley where over the past 20–30 years attacks have been relatively common. There are several causes for the high number of attacks, though the foremost reason likely stems from the conversion of natural habitat to orchards and agricultural fields. Asiatic Black Bears actively crop raid orchards and agricultural areas putting them into close proximity to humans. The Jammu & Kashmir Wildlife Protection Department has collected data on 2,357 Asiatic Black Bear attacks in the Kashmir Valley between 2000 and 2020. A total of 2,243 (95.2%) resulted in injury and 114 (4.8%) resulted in death. The majority of injuries were reported as minor (57.4%, n=1126), 42.4% (n=832) as grievous, and 1.2% (n=21) caused permanent disability. The highest proportion of attacks occurred from July through November, coinciding with the harvesting season, and the least occurred from December through March, coinciding with when most Asiatic Black Bears are hibernating. Victims of bear attacks were most often working in farms or orchards, and were mostly between the ages of 31–40 years old. Most attacks occurred in the morning hours when people first entered the orchards or agricultural fields to work. The frequency of attacks has declined since 2016, which could be attributed to retaliation killings, better management by the wildlife department, and the engagement of NGO’s with local people to create bear awareness and teach safety measures.

Bear Bite Injuries in the Hilly Areas of District Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh

Bear attacks are rare but widely publicized incidents. Degradation in form of overgrazing, deforestation, fire, reclamation of forest land for other uses and over extraction of forest resources essential for bear survival is occurring throughout the bear range. For those living nearby forest areas, bear presents a considerable danger worse than the tigers and leopards.

Reconstruction After Grizzly Bear Attack in Wyoming.

Bear attacks are rare, although global incidents have been increasing. Injury patterns of bear attacks against humans consistently include injuries to the face, head, neck, chest, and upper extremities. Here, we have a brief report of a 59-year-old male hunter who was attacked by a grizzly bear in Wyoming. He sustained multiple lacerations to his face which included an avulsion of his nose and upper lip, as well as extensive associated facial fractures. Additional injuries included soft tissue and bony injuries to the upper extremities. He underwent 53 operations during his first hospitalization, primarily of facial reconstruction, which required nose and upper lip replant to his arm. His course was complicated by pressure ulcers, bacteria, acute kidney injury, and a urinary tract infection. After successful coordinated multidisciplinary care and a prolonged hospitalization, he was ultimately discharged to his home.

Nine Cases of Trauma Caused by a Black Bear Attack

Nine Cases of Trauma Caused by a Black Bear Attack

Circumstances of human conflicts with bears and patterns of bear maul injuries in Bhutan: Review of records 2015-2019.

Bhutan is one of the biological hotspots in the world where humans and natural flora and fauna co-exist in close proximity. Bhutan is home to two species of bears: Sloth Bear and Himalayan Black Bear. Human conflicts with bears are reported from all over the country. This study describes the profile of the victims and the pattern of injury resulting from bear attacks and circumstances around human conflicts with bears in Bhutan between 2015 and 2019. This was a cross-sectional study with a review of hospital records of patients treated at the National Referral Hospital from 01 January 2015 till 31 December 2019. Data were extracted into a structured pro forma and entered into EpiData Entry 3.1 and analysed in STATA 13.1. There were thirty-four patients who were provided care for bear maul injuries, with an average annual caseload of 6.8 cases per year. The injury prevalence was 100% and the kill prevalence was 0%. Bear attacks were reported from fourteen of twenty districts of the country. The mean age of the victims was 49 (±13) years. Males (26, 76%) and farmers (26, 76%) were the common victims; the risk of bear attacks was 0.16 per 100,000 farmers per year. The commonest region of the body attacked was the face (29, 85%) and victims were provided emergency and rehabilitative care within and outside the country. Thirty-three victims (97%) were provided post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies. All victims received antibiotics despite the lack of national guidelines on the choice of antibiotics post-bear maul. Human-bear conflict is multi-faceted, puts a considerable strain on bear-conservation efforts and requires multi-disciplinary efforts in the prevention of human injury and socioeconomic losses.

Bear attack pattern and behavior in the Himalayan region: A study from a tertiary care center

BackgroundReports of injuries caused by bear attacks are scarce in the Himalayan region of India, such as Uttarakhand, which is surrounded by hills and thick forests. We retrospectively studied 18 patients attacked by Himalayan black and sloth bears to understand the pattern of the attacks and their management. Materials and MethodsPatients attacked by bears between January 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively studied. ResultsMost of the patients were of low socioeconomic status. The incidence was highest between June and December. The attacks mostly caused soft tissue injuries. There were also fractures of facial bones noted in some cases, but there was no mortality. The best outcomes were found in those cases that were managed with generous tissue preservation, rather than aggressive debridement. We could also follow the bear attack pattern. Himalayan black bears and sloth bears were found to be involved in the attacks. ConclusionInjuries due to bear attacks mainly affect the face and neck. Although there were no cases of mortality in this study, facial disfigurement had a long-lasting impact on survivors. Tissue preservation and early reconstruction had the best outcomes.

Below Freezing: Elegy for the Melting Planet by Donald Anderson

Reviewed by: Below Freezing: Elegy for the Melting Planet by Donald Anderson Daryl W. Palmer Donald Anderson, Below Freezing: Elegy for the Melting Planet. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 2018. 161 pp. Paper, $24.95. In memorable lines from “The Snow Man,” Wallace Stevens tells us, “One must have a mind of winter / To regard the frost. . . .” For many readers, the pronouncement is simply chilling, but some of us consider it a manifesto. We “regard” frost and embrace being, in the poet’s words, “cold a long time.” We treasure wintrum frod, the Old English phrase for the wisdom that comes from living through many winters. Because I am this sort of person, I have written about Muscovites and Englishmen in the Renaissance. I have tried to explain the cold in Hamlet. I read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter every year when the first snow comes. My brumal bona fi-des matter because I want to recommend Donald Anderson’s Below Freezing: Elegy for the Melting Planet to you as essential reading for winter minds trapped on a warming planet. A gifted and accomplished writer of fiction and poetry, Anderson curates a life of reading about and living in the cold. In her eloquent foreword, Aritha van Herk rightly describes the book as a “collage-ledger,” creating a kind of “chiaroscuro.” In Below Freezing, Anderson’s stories of memory drift alongside boreal history (the Children’s Blizzard of 1888, the Air Florida plane crash in 1982), frigid facts (the summit temperature of Mt. Everest and the age of permafrost in Alaska), and a wide range of voices. We hear from Jimbo from Wreckmasters, reporters in the Denver Post, and Travis, who once ran out into the Alaskan cold on Christmas Eve. In striking ways, these voices jostle with those of Emily Dickinson, Robert Hayden, James Joyce, John Krakauer, Barry Lopez, and Jeanette Winterson, to name a few. Along the way, Anderson caches bits of cold classics such as Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” and Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” [End Page 295] Through it all, Anderson never loses sight of his focus: here is a timely, perhaps belated, reckoning with climate change and memory. The book’s first page announces the focus with a precise juxta-position of a Denver Post article quantifying the reduction of Arctic sea ice and Anderson’s memories of mittens. Readers with a special interest in the American West will find the book particularly appealing. With the opening paragraph, Anderson orients his project on the map of North America: “That mittens outwork gloves was a lesson learned, growing up in Montana— sure knowledge more aptly confirmed when an Air Force assignment landed me at a radar site in Alaska, three degrees north of the Arctic Circle” (3). Skipping back and forth between Butte, Montana, and the Arctic Circle, between recollections of family life and Air Force duties, Anderson assays Western memories of winter, holding them up in mittened hands. One need not have a mind of winter to appreciate the craftsmanship of the book and relish the accumulated wisdom. In fact, it is Anderson’s memory work that creates arcs, large and minute, in the book as he recalls attaching his tongue to a galvanized elementary school post, falling behind his father while snowshoeing through a storm, his father making ice cream out of icicles, his daughter determined to drive the old Datsun on a bitter day, and Bill Secours having survived a Grizzly Bear attack. In memory after memory, Anderson’s wry voice brings the book to life, sometimes for what he writes, other times for how he has listened: “I asked [Secours] for advice to survive in the North. Don’t eat yellow snow, he advised, serious as a bear attack” (148). The result is often bracing and beautiful, marked by wonder and wit, but never precious. Late in the book, readers may anticipate some sort of fanciful consolation as Anderson collects snowflake encomia: Winterson remarking on the wonder of snowflakes; a Zen proverb observing “No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place”; Thoreau remembering a particular snowflake and how it “reminded me...

Oral Function Rehabilitation with Dental Implantation following Severe Facial Injury Caused by a Bear Attack: A Case Report

Oral Function Rehabilitation with Dental Implantation following Severe Facial Injury Caused by a Bear Attack: A Case Report

Incidence and Pattern of Bear Maul Injuries in Mount Abu

Background: Bears typically compete directly with humans for space, food, security and cover Frequent numbers of casualties with bear maul injuries observed in our hospital which is located in the Sloth Bear sanctuary of Arravali range, prompted us to undertake the study of incidence & pattern of such injuries in our department. Materials and Method: This study was both retrospective and prospective covering a period from 2001 to 2018. The pattern of bear maul injuries in term of time, location, provocation, animal/human group behavior and the injury type/distribution were recorded and analyzed. Results: Only a total of 27 cases were registered in 17 years. All the injuries were caused by Sloth Bears alone. Most of the patients were middle aged to elders. In our study, males were victimized more (74.1%) than females (25.9%). Most of the incidents (66.7%) occurred in early morning time. In our observation 51.9% of accidents happened in croplands and 25.9% in forest. Bear attacks were unprovoked in 81.5% cases.. The face and head were injured in 74.07% cases followed by trunk and upper limb in 70.37% cases. Abdomen and lower limbs were injured in 37% cases. In spite of devastating injuries,mortality was 0 in our study. Conclusion: The relatively low incidence of bear attack in the region of Mount Abu may be an indication of a harmonious man-animal existence. Eliminating the need for open defecation and collection of fire wood by the tribal population can go a long way in further improving the man-animal coexistence equilibrium

Emergency Airways After Himalayan Black Bear Attacks in Bhutan

Although bear attacks on humans are uncommon, the incidence has slowly risen as human populations increasingly encroach on wilderness habitat. In the Kingdom of Bhutan, Himalayan black bear attacks occur regularly. Bears preferentially attack the face, often causing injuries that require surgical airway management. We sought to determine how often patients injured by Himalayan black bears required airway management during initial resuscitation. We conducted a retrospective review of emergency department and admission records of the 3 referral hospitals in Bhutan. We identified all victims of bear attacks in Bhutan who received emergency airway management, including surgical airway management during the period from August 2013 to December 2017. There were 21 patients who were treated for injuries from bear attacks during the study period. Of these, 12 required emergency airway management. Three patients who required emergency airways (2 intubations, 1 surgical airway) were attacked near a regional referral hospital and received care at that hospital. The remaining 9 patients received care from the helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) retrieval team (1 intubation, 8 surgical airways). The use of highly trained HEMS critical care retrieval teams may improve outcomes in critically injured patients who require time-critical airway management in remote areas. Countries such as Bhutan with populations far from emergency and critical care might benefit from the establishment of HEMS critical care retrieval services. HEMS teams providing care while retrieving patients from austere environments should be expert in emergency airway management.

A Case of Severe Facial Injury Caused by a Bear Attack Restored through Prosthetic Treatment after Reconstructive Surgery

A Case of Severe Facial Injury Caused by a Bear Attack Restored through Prosthetic Treatment after Reconstructive Surgery

Sloth Bear Attacks on Humans in Central India: Implications for Species Conservation

Sloth Bear Attacks on Humans in Central India: Implications for Species Conservation

Multifaceted Treatment for a Black Bear Attack

Multifaceted Treatment for a Black Bear Attack

A review of 48 patients after bear attacks in Central India: Demographics, management and outcomes.

Introduction:Bear attacks though relatively rare are frequent enough to be of concern for those who are in bear habitats. Our centre at Nagpur, being surrounded by dense forests from all the sides, treats a large number of victims.Aim:The aim was to document the injuries, management and the potential complications of bear attacks.Materials and Methods:We reviewed the records of 48 consecutive patients who were treated in our department from January 2006 to December 2013 for bear attacks.Outcome:The majority of patients were referred 24-48 h post-attack. All but two patients had involvement of either the face or scalp. Involvement of eyes, mandible, facial nerve, was common. Reconstruction included simple suture of lacerations to management of complex compound injuries with three-dimensional defects. Thirteen patients developed infection.Conclusion:Bear attack victims need a multidisciplinary approach. Early broad spectrum antibiotics, anti-rabies prophylaxis and irrigation and debridement of the wound are needed. We advise early referral to tertiary treatment centres.

Challenges of Large Carnivore Conservation: Sloth Bear Attacks in Sri Lanka

Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) attacks in Sri Lanka present a major challenge to their conservation as human populations grow and compete with bears for space and resources. Bear attacks on humans predominantly affect the rural poor and seem to be increasing in frequency. In 2004, we conducted the first island-wide survey of bear attacks in Sri Lanka. Our main goals were to 1) describe where and when attacks occurred, 2) describe the characteristics and outcome of bear attacks, and 3) evaluate the influence of human group size on the severity of bear attacks. We interviewed 271 individuals attacked by sloth bears between 1938 and 2004. Sloth bears rarely entered village compounds, damaged property, or raided crops; conflicts predominantly involved attacks on people in forests. Most sloth bear attacks took place during daylight hours (0900-1600 h) in the dry season, when humans were likely to engage in forest activities such as honey gathering. Most attacks (80 %) occurred when humans and bears surprised each other at close proximity (<10 m). Most (84 %) victims carried a weapon but 55 % said the attack was too sudden to effectively use the weapon in self-defense. Human injuries included lacerations and puncture wounds, broken limbs, skull fractures, and the loss of scalps, eyes, or other parts of the face. Almost all major injuries resulted from bites. In 61 attacks bears were wounded and in 39 attacks bears were killed. The severity of human injuries depended on human group size; solitary humans experienced more severe injuries than expected, suggesting that the presence of other humans may moderate the bear’s aggression and motivate it to flee. Widespread fear of sloth bears poses a significant challenge to modifying ineffective human responses to bear encounters (e.g., fleeing). Conservation outreach could emphasize that greater human safety may be achieved from remaining in groups and using extreme caution around thickets and rock outcrops likely to be used by bears.

Grievous Temporal and Occipital Injury Caused by a Bear Attack

Bear attacks are reported from nearly every part of the world. The chance of a human encountering a bear increases as the remote bear territory diminishes. The sloth bear is one of the three species of bears found in India, which inhabits the forests of India and its neighboring countries. Here we describe a teenager who came to us with a critical injury involving the face, temporal and occipital bones inflicted by a sloth bear attack. He underwent a temporal exploration, facial nerve decompression, pinna reconstruction, and occipital bone repair to save him from fatality.

Bear Maul Craniocerebral Trauma in Kashmir Valley

Craniocerebral injuries constitute the bulk of the trauma patients in all the tertiary-care hospitals. Bear attacks as a cause of trauma to the brain and its protective covering are rare. This was a hospital-based retrospective (January 1990 to July 2005) and prospective study (August 2005 to December 2010). Craniocerebral trauma was seen in 49 patients of bear maul injuries. Loss of scalp tissue was seen in 17 patients, 13 of whom had exposed pericranium and needed split-thickness skin grafting, while 4 patients with exposed skull bones required scalp transposition flaps as an initial procedure. Skull bone fractures without associated brain injury were observed in 24 cases. Frontal bone was the site of fracture in the majority of cases (95%). Surgical intervention was needed in 18 patients for significantly depressed fractures. Three of these patients had depressed frontal bone fractures with underlying contusions and needed brain debridement and duraplasty. Injury to the brain was observed in 8 patients. Trauma to the brain and its protective coverings as a result of bear attacks is rarely known. Brain injury occurs less commonly as compared to soft tissue and bony injury. Craniocerebral trauma as a result of bear assaults has been a hitherto neglected area of trauma as the past reported incidence has been very low. Of late, the incidence and severity of such attacks has assumed grave proportions in areas adjacent to known bear habitats. An innocuous-looking surface wound might be the only presentation of an underlying severe brain trauma. Public awareness has to be generated to protect the people living in hilly areas.

A Case of a Fatal Himalayan Black Bear Attack in the Zoo

We present a case of a 22-year-old male, who was found inside the cage of Himalayan black bears in the Belgrade Zoo. The victim attended the Belgrade Beer festival the previous night, drinking a lot of beer and acting aggressively. A medico-legal autopsy was performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Belgrade. Autopsy findings showed numerous excoriations all over the body surrounded by bruises, as well as spindle-shaped, oval, and partly irregular wounds of variable size, large defects of skin and subcutaneous soft tissue, fractures of the thyroid and cricoid cartilage, and fracture of ribs. Postmortem toxicological analysis revealed the presence of ethanol in vitreous humor and urine and 11-nor Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinolic acid found in the urine. We discussed similar cases from the available literature in different regions of the world. In conclusion, we pointed out that the presented case does not follow the general pattern of Himalayan bear attacks.

Vascular injuries after bear attacks: Incidence, surgical challenges and outcome.

Background:Bear mauling is rarely reported in medical literature due to its rare occurrence. Present study was undertaken to describe the pattern and management of bear maul vascular injuries in Kashmir.Patients and Methods:Study of patients with bear maul vascular injury from 1st Jan 2004 to 31st Dec. 2008. Fifteen patients with bear maul vascular injury were studied. All patients of bear maul without vascular injury were excluded from the study.Results:Most of the patients were treated by reverse saphenous vein graft or end to end anastomosis. Most common complication was wound infection (20%) followed by graft occlusion (13.33%). There was no operative death.Conclusion:Bear attacks are very common in Kashmir. Vascular injury due to bear maul needs prompt resuscitation and revascularization. Results are very good provided timely intervention for revascularization is done.

Human–Brown Bear Conflicts in Artvin, Northeastern Turkey: Encounters, Damage, and Attitudes

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the largest carnivore in Turkey and has been legally protected since 2003. However, increasing levels of conflict between brown bears and humans have been reported for several regions, especially for Artvin in northeastern Turkey. We documented the conflict in an attempt to understand human attitudes and responses and evaluate existing and potential damage prevention techniques. The study was conducted within landscapes at different scales, ranging from a core area defined by a large valley system to the whole of the Artvin Province. Data on close encounters, injuries, and damage caused were collected through government records, published literature, and open-ended interviews with the local people. On more than two-thirds of close encounters recorded, no harm occurred to bear or people. Bear attacks on humans were rare and only occasionally led to non-fatal injuries. Nevertheless, several bears were shot and killed in the study area during the study (2002–2005), apparently as a consequence of damage experienced by farmers. Interviews indicated a widespread belief that bears have become more of a problem. Bear damage was reported mostly in late summer for field crops and orchards and in spring for beehives. Precautions taken by villagers relied mostly on locally available technologies and varied in effectiveness against bears. We propose that introduction and implementation of modern techniques of exclusion such as portable electric fences around valuable resources (e.g. bee yards), improvements in bear awareness, and effective cooperation among various stakeholders would reduce human–bear conflict to acceptable levels in the region.