Hungry bear getting ready to hibernate broke into Nevada home and attacked elderly couple
Source: The Independent
An elderly couple was injured after a bear broke into their home near the California-Nevada border in search of food before hibernating for the winter.
At the Stateline, Nevada, property near Lake Tahoe, an 87-year-old man went into his garage at around 4:30 a.m. and unexpectedly came face to face with the bear as it searched for food, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
As the man backed away, the bear scratched his hand and followed him into the house. Inside, the creature also scratched the 87-year-old woman. The bear eventually left the home, the department said. It’s not immediately clear how long the animal was inside.
The pair sustained “minor hand injuries” and were treated at the hospital. They’ve since been released.
“We are grateful that these individuals sustained minor injuries and are okay,” Shawn Espinosa, Game Division Administrator for the department, said in a statement. “Bears are still experiencing hyperphagia, or a phase where they build up as many calories as possible before going into their dens for winter. To ensure bears make their ways to their dens, it is important that residents secure attractants.”
The department urged those living in bear country to take safety precautions to avoid a similar incident.
Residents were encouraged to secure their garbage cans. “Around 90% of bear incidents start with unsecured trash,” the department warned.
Other tips include removing food, trash, and other scented items from vehicles, securing doors and windows when away or in unoccupied rooms overnight, and installing electric fencing around beehives and chicken coops.
For those who see a bear approaching their home, the department encouraged trying to scare the creature away by banging on pots and pans, yelling through an open window, or triggering a car alarm.
“Yelling things like ‘Hey bear!’ or ‘Get out of here bear!’ alerts those around you to what’s going on,” the release stated. “These methods can help ‘negatively condition’ bears to humans and houses and teach them that it is not okay to enter these areas.”
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