Black Bear Attacks Two People at a Home in Salmon, Idaho
The bears had been feeding on unsecured garbage and chickens for days. Idaho Fish and Game says drought is pushing bears toward people.
Two residents of the Sunset Heights subdivision in Salmon, Idaho, were injured early October 2 when a juvenile black bear tried to get in their back door around 3:30 a.m., Idaho Fish and Game said. They tackled and wrestled the bear. One was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.
The sow was shot by a neighbor shortly after the attack, and both juveniles were trapped the next morning and euthanized. Fish and Game had been told the day before that a sow with cubs was killing chickens there and had set traps on the neighboring property. Investigators found the bears had been feeding for several days on a large pile of unsecured household garbage outside the home.
The department's warning applies well beyond Salmon. Drought and poor natural food are driving bears closer to people as they fatten for winter, and it lists garbage, leftovers, pet food and uncleaned barbecues and smokers left outside as attractants. Food-conditioned bears quickly lose their wariness. Report bears around homes early to the local Fish and Game office, so staff can work with residents to deter them before they become food-conditioned.
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