Game commission: March bear attack was rare
While bear attacks already are a rare occurrence, a Pennsylvania Game Commission official found the attack of Lee Ann Galante on March 5 in Butler Township even more unusual because of how early in the year it took place.
Travis Lau, communications director for the game commission, said many black bears still are hibernating in early March, so an attack — much less an encounter — was unlikely in Galante’s neck of the woods.
“People see bears throughout the year and every month, but not usually this month,” Lau said. “Black bears are nonconfrontational; that's really why attacks are as rare as they are.”
At around 8:30 p.m. March 5, Galante let her Pomeranian dog, Smokie, out into her backyard. She noticed silhouettes in a tree, which turned out to be three black bear cubs, which were accompanied by their mother, whom Smokie was barking at.
The ensuing attack by the mother bear left Galante nearly scalped and with a smashed face, a bitten arm and numerous other lacerations, she said.
Galante returned home March 13 from Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where she was transported after the attack for treatment and later surgery. She was scheduled to get the splints out of her nose Tuesday, having already had staples removed from the back of her head, where she was bitten and clawed by the bear.
Galante said Monday she’s “hanging in there.”
“I'm still pretty tired, I don't have the stamina I did. Hopefully in another week I'll be better,” Galante said. “I hope to go back to work Monday; I do like my job.”
She is a dental hygienist.
The mother bear was euthanized after the attack, and her cubs were tranquilized and released March 7 in Pine Grove Township, Warren County, on state game lands. The mother bear and cubs did not have rabies, according to Lau. The cubs, Lau said, were only a few weeks away from being old enough to leave their mother and venture out on their own.
Galante and Lau agreed seeing a bear die is unfortunate, but Lau said it is rare for the game commission to euthanize a bear.
The commission will euthanize bears that present a risk to human safety, or if they are chronic nuisances, according to the commission’s black bear management plan. The plan also says the commission euthanizes fewer than 15 bears a year.
Lau also said people may start seeing more bears in the coming weeks as spring breaks. Despite the rise in sightings, Lau said attacks are still rare.
“After all the bears emerge from their dens, we'll be heading toward the black bear breeding season; people will see bears where they don't usually see bears,” he said. “We have 18,000 bears statewide. Just seeing a bear doesn't necessarily signify any danger.”
Lau said that, like many animals, bears are primarily motivated by food and will usually act toward that goal. He also specified that people are not typically thought of as food to a bear.
Even in encounters between people and bears, the bear likely will not want a confrontation, Lau said.
“When it is a standoff scenario, a bear is usually going to let you back out,” he said. “Two pieces of advice in bear encounters is to not run away — because that can be conceived as a threat — and don't climb trees, because female bears with cubs will often send their cubs into trees.”
Lau said while bears sometimes come to a suburban neighborhood in search of food, they are more likely to be seen in a wooded environment. He added that you may see a bear before it sees you, which can lead to more tense encounters.
“Bears don't like to be taken by surprise; there is a way to calmly let them know you are there. In all likelihood, they run away,” Lau said. “If a bear is becoming aggressive, that's a sign they want you to leave. You should remain as calm as possible.”
Information from Bearwise.org, which Lau said is a good reference for bear information, says dogs are involved in more than half of black bear attacks nationwide. Galante said Smokie was within a few feet of the bear on the night of her attack, and her reaction was to try to protect her 8-pound pet.
A dog owner himself, Lau said people should not step between their dog and a bear, despite the uncertainty of the situation.
“If a dog and bear are involved in an altercation, you should really stay out of it,” Lau said. “There are measures you can take to maybe insure that you are protecting your pets as best as you can.”
Smokie made it out of his encounter with the bears with a scratch on his back, which Galante said has been looked at by a vet, and the dog is doing well after the incident.
Lau added that anyone, especially pet owners, should keep food of any kind protected, and people who are able could get motion-sensing lights to help alert them to potential animal movement outside their homes.
In the weeks since the attack, Galante has received numerous messages, cards and food from friends and even strangers. She said she is thankful for the sympathy, and she and her husband are looking twice now before taking Smokie outside.
“That's all that goes through my head, 'Bear, bear, bear.' It's all you think about,” Galante said. “We always go outside with him, even if it's day or night. Just in case raccoon, that’s what you think more of.”
