Three black bears that were lethally removed from two Payson-area campgrounds by Arizona Game and Fish officials following a trio of attacks on campers within the last month do not have rabies.
The bears, which were killed by Game and Fish officials, were tested for rabies following attacks on one woman and two men, including Pedro Baca, 30, of Tempe, who remains hospitalized in Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn hospital after being attacked Sunday as he slept at the Ponderosa Campground. Baca, who was in fair condition, was bitten on the head.
However, DNA testing results on the three bears are pending to determine whether they were the ones involved in the maulings on the campers on May 31, June 21 and on Sunday. Wyoming Game and Fish Wildlife Forensic and Fish Health Laboratory, which is nationally known for its area of expertise, currently is conducting the DNA testing on the bears, according to Arizona Game and Fish.
“The negative rabies tests help us rule out that the bears that we removed, and that may be responsible for the attacks, were not behaving aggressively due to the rabies virus,” said Dr. Anne Justice-Allen, Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian. “Next we will wait for the DNA analysis to be complete to confirm whether the attacks are related and if the forensic evidence connects any of the bears that were removed to one or more of the attacks.”
Rabies testing was necessary to determine if the victims were exposed to the virus, and can only be conducted on a dead animal, making it necessary to lethally remove the bears due to their aggressive nature against humans.
On May 31, an Apache Junction woman was the first victim of an attack at the Ponderosa Campground. The bear tore into her tent and mauled her on the head, according to information from Game and Fish.
A Glendale man was attacked on June 21 in the Thompson Draw II area, about a mile from the Ponderosa Campground.
With the state’s drought and scarce wildlife food resources, more and more wildlife are moving into areas that are on the fringe of wildlands, looking for food. Bears are particularly attracted to campground areas where they often find easy access to garbage and food sources.
Bear attacks on humans are rare despite Arizona’s robust population of 2,500 to 3,000 bears. Sunday’s attack is only the 10th documented bear attack in Arizona since 1990, but the third this year, according to Game and Fish.
Contact writer: (480) 898-6533 or msakal@evtrib.com
Carolyn posted at 8:50 pm on Wed, Jun 27, 2012.
When an area has a healthy bear population (obviously, that is something that is well-known to anyone except those morons who never bother to check before they go camping), there is NO excuse for camping in tents. That is just REALLY STUPID. One needs some kind of RV - or go to the nearest motel or rent a cabin. These bears are dead simply because their food supply is scarce this year, and they were hungry. People who put themselves in harm's way for whatever reason will not get any sympathy from me. The bears should have been relocated, not euthanized.
Magrock posted at 9:03 pm on Wed, Jun 27, 2012.
If the DNA doesn't match then what? Kill 3 more ? And we keep doing this until when? Shame on the humans.
mdeal posted at 12:25 am on Thu, Jun 28, 2012.
As someone who is friends with the third victim, I couldn't disagree more. Save the bears? Seriously? This man was scalped protecting his family on his FIRST EVER camping trip and you have the nerve to call him stupid and defend an animal. It is stupid people like you that ruin this world.
trackmom2012 posted at 7:08 am on Thu, Jun 28, 2012.
The animals LIVE out there. When we go into their world we take a risk. The bea(s) didn't come into the city, enter someone's home, and attack them. They were at home in their envionment. To top it off they have killed 3 seperate bearsnwithout knowing if any were guilty of the the attcks for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.