A California couple fought off a bear using just a hatchet and a water bottle, according to authorities.
On Monday, a woman in Mammoth Lakes, a town in the Sierra Nevada mountains, said that she went outside to investigate after hearing one of her dogs barking. Upon leaving her home, she saw a 17-month-old black bear fighting with one of her dogs.
As she headed outside, her other dog bolted out of the door. Then, the as-yet unnamed woman began trying to stop the 70-pound bear from fighting her dogs, according to a statement from the Mammoth Lakes Police Department.
“She attempted to break up the fight between the two and was yelling, and the bear turned on her and ended up attacking her,” Kory Collins, assistant chief with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s law enforcement division, told The Los Angeles Times.
During the skirmish, the bear began “biting and clawing” her, police say. Eventually, a man came outside to intervene, but was “aggressively confronted” by the bear, too.
The unnamed woman used a water bottle to strike the bear until the man could get free. Then, the man hit the bear multiple times with the blunt end of a hatchet, leaving the animal critically injured.
Despite sustaining “significant injuries,” the couple transported themselves to Mammoth Hospital. Their dogs sustained minor injuries but are expected to make a full recovery.
Officers from the MLPD responded to the scene and were able to locate the bear, which the CDFW determined to be a threat to public safety. Department staff later euthanized the animal.
“Incidents like this are extremely rare in Mammoth Lakes,” Chief Dan Casabian said in the MLPD release. “Bears almost always avoid humans and will flee when confronted.
“This type of aggressive behavior is highly unusual,” Casabian continued. “We are grateful that the couple are expected to make full recoveries and appreciate the quick response of our officers, CDFW, Bishop Veterinarian Hospital, and Mammoth Hospital Staff.”
In the MLPD press release, the police department and the CDFW said that human-bear conflicts are uncommon but that there are steps that visitors and residents can take to reduce encounters.
Humans are urged to never approach or feed the bears, to keep garbage securely stored in bear-proof containers, to not leave pet food or bird feeders outside and to keep dogs leashed and supervised. Hikers and walkers were also urged to make noise while in bear country, especially at dawn or dusk.
If a bear is encountered, people are advised to give it space and to back away, but not to run.
The CDFW estimated in a press release that around 60,000 black bears live across the state’s bear habitats.
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