Black bear attacks are rare in California, but not unheard of. Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife//Facebook
A black bear attacked a couple in Burnt Ranch, California in the early morning hours of September 19. While the couple survived with serious injuries, their French bulldog did not.
According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jeff Wilson let his dog outside of their Trinity County home around 4 a.m., and when he returned to let her back inside, a bear pounced on him. His wife, Mallory, woke up and went outside to find Jeff injured and their dog, Cassie, in the bear’s mouth.
She threw furniture at the bear, but was then attacked too. Eventually, the bear fled, but Jeff had lacerations and two broken ribs, and Mallory had bite wounds to her head and face. Jeff received 13 staples, and Mallory needed stitches. The dog succumbed days later to injuries suffered during the attack.
A friend started a crowdfunder for the couple, who own a camping/glamping accommodation in Trinity County. The GoFundMe page says the attack was unprovoked, and the Wilsons have shut down their business as they recover from their injuries. Funds will support medical expenses, damage to the property, and losses while the business is not operational. At the time of publication, they’d received $13,000 of the $16,000 goal.
“They operate a small hospitality business, have years of experience living and working alongside wildlife, and take precautions to peacefully coexist with the animals that share their land,” the crowdfunder says. “They are passionate animal lovers, which has made this extraordinarily rare encounter and the loss of Cassie heartbreaking on so many levels. Cassie was a deeply loved member of their family, and in the moment Jeff needed her most, this little dog courageously put herself between him and a bear.”
Given the dense populations in which black bears live in California, attacks are rare. A state report found there were 99 nonfatal black bear incidents between 1986 and 2015. No fatal incidents were reported during that time. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that between 49,000 and 71,000 black bears call the state home and confirmed that they are investigating the September 19 incident.
