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[troutbreath]

Black bear attacks man on boat; bystanders kill animal with gaffs, knife
 
Sandra McCulloch, with files from Catherine Rolfsen
Canwest News Service; with files from Vancouver Sun


Thursday, September 11, 2008


 
CREDIT: Global TV
Bruce Miller of Miller Time charters talks to the media after he and a group of men killed a bear that mauled a 52-year-old-man after swimming out to the fisherman's boat, which was docked at the Port Renfrew marina Sept. 9.
 
A bloody battle of man against beast on a Vancouver Island dock has left one fisherman in hospital, a bear dead and a group of quick-thinking bystanders hailed as heroes.

Bruce Miller couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a black bear attacking a fisherman aboard a powerboat at the Port Renfrew marina Tuesday evening. But the 40-year-old fishing guide sprang into action.

"I just reacted. I ran out of my boat, I grabbed my gaff -- my halibut gaff -- on my way there," he told reporters Wednesday, displaying the long hook attached to a pole used for landing large fish.

With one foot inside the boat and one foot out, Miller whacked the bear several times with the gaff, trying in vain to pull him off the victim.

"He wanted to eat that guy," Miller said. "That's all there was. He was after him, and nothing was going to stop that bear from getting what he wanted."

Eventually, several other bystanders rushed to help with gaffs, a hammer and a filleting knife.

"There was three or four of us, just kind of held that [bear] there, while we cut his throat," he said.

Miller has been a fishing guide in the area for six years and will be back on the water today, said his wife, Andrea Miller.

"It doesn't surprise me that he would do that," she said. "He's something else."

The victim, a 52-year-old Saltspring Island man, was recovering in hospital.

He was conscious and in stable condition when he was flown by air ambulance to Victoria General Hospital. He was later transferred to Royal Jubilee Hospital, where he underwent surgery. Neither his name nor his condition have been made public.

The dead bear was left in the boat until a conservation officer arrived to take it away.

"This is the first major aggressive black-bear attack causing that kind of injury on Vancouver Island," conservation officer Gord Hitchcock said from Nanaimo.

The victim was fishing with a friend aboard his powerboat and returned to the marina with a coho salmon, Hitchcock said.

The two men went to the office to clean the fish and were returning to the boat about 5 p.m. when a bear -- at least 10 years old and weighing 80 kilograms -- climbed up on the wharf after swimming the Gordon River.

The bear was about 50 metres away when the man boarded the boat.

"The bear immediately followed him and boarded the boat," Hitchcock said.

"The victim threw his fish in the general vicinity of the bear, but the bear attacked the victim in the boat."

The animal was undergoing a necropsy in Nanaimo to explore what might have led to the mauling. Initial examination showed it to be elderly and in poor health.

Mike Hicks of Sooke, who owns a fishing resort in Port Renfrew, said he's not surprised by the attack.

Three weeks ago, he called the conservation service about bears.

"We had a problem with bears walking down the pier, going down the ramp and sitting in boats looking for food," he said.

"Our patrons were shooing them out of the boats and taking pictures. It was absolutely bizarre ... and totally dangerous."

Hicks wanted the bears moved or killed, but said the conservation officer said nothing would be done unless someone was in imminent danger.

"They never did send an officer out and yesterday a bear, probably the same bear, took down this fellow," Hicks said. "The whole situation is absolutely disgusting."

But Hitchcock said conservation officers have been taking the problem seriously. He said bears are common in Port Renfrew and people there have to take responsibility with garbage and fish scraps.

"We work with marine authorities around prevention ... keeping the bears from coming in to access fish sources," he said.

"They have to manage their attractions or all we'll be doing is destroying bears out there."

The attack in Port Renfrew shocked some local residents, Fire Chief Dan Tennant said, because such attacks have "never, ever" happened in the area before.

"I always tell people in Port Renfrew the bears are more afraid of you than you are of them. I encounter [bears] almost daily and they're pretty docile," he said.

"I'm not sure what happened here."

Since 1986, eight people in B.C. have been killed by black bears and 75 have been injured.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

[dennisK]

How big was the bear?

Why didn't he guy in the boat jump in the water is swim like a crazy guy.

I realize i'm armchair guy here; but i think i would have taken a leap in the river...

[Tex]

Bears are good swimmers - I'd almost rather take my chances with a bear in the boat rather than deal with him in the water.  Or maybe I would've panicked and jumped out too.  lol

(PS - it says the bear was 80 kilos above)

[DionJL]

They say not to run from Black Bears. Always act big and if you are attacked you should fight back. I would think a 52yr old man would be able to put up a decent fight depending on his size. There also should have been plenty of weapons handy near by on the boat; a gaff, knife, even a fishing rod. However if the Bear saw him as dinner I doubt a single person would stand much of a chance. Good on those that came to his rescue.

[dennisK]

damn; he could have just put one of those bigasss salmon nets over him too....

[cohojoe]

I am not a animal fighter but maybe if confronted by a bear or cougar;  try stabbing them in the nose or eye .
assuming you have time and the prescence of mind to pull out your knife or whatever.

[one more cast]

damn; he could have just put one of those bigasss salmon nets over him too....

The bear had it's jaws wrapped around the guys arm...A woman told me once while she was a camp cook in the yukon that a grissly was about to attack her...she punched it in the nose and the bear retracted. Brave of her but she didn't have a choice.

[Fish Assassin]

Lucky the guy was moored in a marina where help was nearby. Kudos to the fishermen who risk their own lives to come to the assistance.

[troutbreath]

"The victim threw his fish in the general vicinity of the bear, but the bear attacked the victim in the boat."


That's how the guy defended himself. The bear probably wanted the fish. Bears are near sighted and have a stong sence of smell so basically the guy put fish scent on himself. The bear was able to hone in on him by scent. The bear probably never saw the fish being thrown at him. He should have used the fish to club the bear.

[kodiak]

Scary, having come close to black bears on many fishing trips I've kinda become desensitized. This sure puts it back into perspective. Hats off to those who rushed in to help.

[southpa]

 Whoa those guys had to have some mondo stones to jump on a bear with a hammer and a filet knive. I hope I have dudes around like that if I ever get in the soup.     Southpa

[Nitroholic]

I would have done what my dad has always said, dig your thumb right in his eye

[fish4fun]

When fishing in bear country,[ which is everywhere around here] always have a belt knife on you. Not a fold down one either. Usually bears will avoid you but if an old or sick one decides to take you on you better have something handy to stick in it. Bad things happen fast so be prepared.

[troutbreath]

 
Attacking Vancouver Island bear old, thin and sick
 
Larry Pynn
Vancouver Sun


Friday, September 12, 2008


 
CREDIT: 
A black bear captured in Vancouver.
 
The black bear that attacked a man on his powerboat while docked in Port Renfrew was old, thin, and suffering from jaw damage and liver disease, the provincial Conservation Officer Service revealed Friday.

Gord Hitchcock, the service's operations manager for Vancouver Island, also said in an interview that the Port Renfrew Marina and RV Park had bear problems for two months before the Sept. 9 attack and had been repeatedly instructed to take action to reduce bear attractants, such as an outdoor garbage bin.

Hitchcock said preliminary necropsy results from provincial wildlife veterinarian Helen Schwantje suggest the "very aged male bear" had a thin body, liver disease, worn teeth, and evidence of an old jaw injury.

The bear weighed an estimated 175 pounds (80 kilograms). A tooth has been removed so the age can be accurately determined, but Hitchcock suggested it was at least 10 years old.

Individuals who witnessed the attack used gaffs, a knife and a hammer to subdue and kill the bear. The victim, a 52-year-old Saltspring Island man, was airlifted to Victoria's Royal Jubilee Hospital for treatment.

Hitchcock said Port Renfrew Marina and RV Park, which has a fish-cleaning station and campground, first lodged a bear nuisance complaint on July 6, and received "advice and direction" on reducing bear attractants.

The operation submitted another nuisance bear complaint on Aug. 15 and received more information.

A conservation officer visited the site on Aug. 22 for further discussions, and on Aug. 28 the operation called to report the bear, while not outright aggressive to people, was posing a more persistent problem.

Hitchcock said the conservation officer no longer offered mere advice but told the operation "you have to deal with your attractants."

A conservation officer revisited the marina on Sept. 6 and set up a culvert trap in hopes of catching the problem bear, and returned Sept. 7 to find that the bear had avoided the trap and continued to get into garbage.

Hitchcock said the marina operation then "screwed down" the wooden lid of the garbage bin to keep the bear out, and the attack occurred two days later.

The bear involved had no garbage in its stomach and it was unclear whether it was the same animal that had been seeking garbage at the RV park. No bears have been causing problems there since the attack. No one could be reached for comment Friday afternoon at the marina operation.

Meanwhile, a dramatic increase in bear complaints on the North Shore has prompted West Vancouver police to caution residents to redouble their efforts to not leave out attractants.

Const. Jeff Palmer said West Vancouver police fielded 87 public complaints about bears in August this year and another 52 so far in September, which compares with nine and two, respectively, in 2007.

Palmer said bears are bulking up their weight at this time of the year in preparation for hibernation, and a shortage of wild food sources such as berries may be forcing them into residential areas. Greater public awareness through the news media may also be partly responsible for the increase in nuisance complaints.

For further information, see www.bearaware.bc.ca.

lpynn@vancouversun.com

© Vancouver Sun
 

 

[bigguy]

Several bears around the Renfrew marina and despite the actions that they are taking it is hard to get rid of all the remains. Lots of fish being caught and remains being left in the water all the time. But most of these bears have been there for several years and are use to free meals.  It is very unfortunate what happened but what really scares me is the danger to the kids that camp with their parents in the marina campsite. I think that some bears are going to have to be shot, it's unfortunate but may not be another answer.