My 12 yr old ds encountered a cub and mama bear at lunch yesterday.

[Rose in BC]

He was eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a park bench (there were other kids). He heard a rustling sound in the trees behind him and, like a boy, decided to go check it out. Out popped a cub right at his feet. He looked up and there was the mama. The mama hissed, the cub scrambled up a tree, my ds dropped his sandwich and backed away from the bear. . . yikes! (Last year we took the kids to a bear aware program because we do live in an area with lots of bears, black and grizzly. Apparently that field trip paid off because he remembered the tip about backing away without turning your back to the bear.)

 

Never a dull moment :glare:

 

Uh my ds did say if the mama wasn't there he would have definitely petted the cub . . . I'm not sure what to say about that!

[secular_mom]

 

Uh my ds did say if the mama wasn't there he would have definitely petted the cub . . . I'm not sure what to say about that!

I'd tell him that even if he didn't see a mama bear, he should ALWAYS assume that the mama is there and SHE can see HIM. Yikes.

I would've been terrified if that had happened to me, and I wouldn't have known to back away.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Wow - that's the kind of experience that is fun only if it worked out exactly the way that it did. I wonder if the bear enjoyed the sandwich?:001_smile:

[QuirkyKapers]

Wow- that will be a moment he won't forget:001_smile:

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Wow! I'm sitting here next to my own 12yo son, and I'm trying to wrap my brain around that whole scenario! What a trip! I'm glad he didn't run with the sandwich. I hope the baby bear liked pb&j.

 

Well, maybe not, they might come looking for another one!

Yikes.

[Remudamom]

Merciful heavens. That would have finished me if it'd been one of mine.

[Teachin'Mine]

That is sooo cool! Yeah my thoughts might have been different if I was there. More like this :svengo:. And then my next thought would be is everyone okay and then - did anyone get a picture???

 

Your son did the right thing for sure. Incredibly we heard a story from a park ranger about someone who refused to give up their backpack to a bear and even went so far as to struggle getting it back from the bear. Yeah you guessed it, the bear got the food he was looking for in the end anyway. :tongue_smilie:

[Mejane]

Oy. Bears wander through our yard occasionally, but we are always inside looking at them from a safe distance.

[Jennifer3141]

I love bears!!

 

I've seen one since we moved up here but I was half asleep and startled him as much as he startled me.

 

I'm glad your son is ok!!

[Nakia]

:svengo:

[CoastalGal]

Merciful heavens. That would have finished me if it'd been one of mine.

 

:iagree: -- my husband was out hunting last weekend and came across multiple piles of bear scat. Makes one think... ;)

[Tammyla]

He was eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a park bench (there were other kids). He heard a rustling sound in the trees behind him and, like a boy, decided to go check it out. Out popped a cub right at his feet. He looked up and there was the mama. The mama hissed, the cub scrambled up a tree, my ds dropped his sandwich and backed away from the bear. . . yikes! (Last year we took the kids to a bear aware program because we do live in an area with lots of bears, black and grizzly. Apparently that field trip paid off because he remembered the tip about backing away without turning your back to the bear.)

 

Never a dull moment :glare:

 

:w00t::svengo::w00t:!

Oh.my.gosh!

[Littlemother]

Wow! That is AMAZING! That will be an experience he won't forget.

[bookfiend]

reference earlier thread .... "things that would terrify me". I think child potentially eaten by a bear is right up there!

[Annie G]

I thought this was going to be about your son getting yelled at for eating a peanut butter sandwich near a kid who is allergic. I think I read too many posts in the Halloween candy thread.

[lovetobehome]

I used to do research on black bears. They are such neat animals! I had this happen to me, I was between a mama and her cub out in the woods. Boy, was that exciting! But more exciting is seeing them charge when they are really mad. It is so fast, so incredibly powerful, like nothing I have ever seen. Good thing they were enclosed when they charged me, man did they hit those bars HARD. Like a train!

I also had a black bear attack my tent while I was in Alaska. I escaped! That was when I was 18 and didnt know not to bring ANY food into my tent.

But I loved the research we did on the cubs, because they were born in our care (we kept them through hibernation) and we got to love on those cubs every week, I have so many cute pics of me cuddling bear cubs. I can understand your son wanting to touch it. But GOOD THING HE DIDN'T! Mama would have had FITS! (that's why they charged me).

Always assume the mom is nearby, because she almost always IS. Good for your son for knowing and being safe.

[Nakia]

II had this happen to me, I was between a mama and her cub out in the woods. Boy, was that exciting! But more exciting is seeing them charge when they are really mad. It is so fast, so incredibly powerful, like nothing I have ever seen. Good thing they were enclosed when they charged me, man did they hit those bars HARD. Like a train!

 

 

You are clearly insane. :svengo:

 

 

j/k.....kinda

[lovetobehome]

LOL! Well, it was my research project in college. ;-)

We trapped 'nuisance' bears and brought them in to our bear pens, where they lived for a good part of the year. They'd go into hibernation, and we would tranquilize them every 8 days or so to do our research. Then we would go into the pen, take our measurements and health assessment of the mama (including feeling around in her mouth- but she was tranquilized) and then get the cubs out and measure them, etc. The charging occurred when we came into the pen area, but hadn't yet tranquilized them. It was truly frightening, but I remember being awed at how unbelievably powerful they were.

Reliving the glory days a bit, LOL. Back when I did something 'interesting,' something I could speak about to others. Now it's just diapers and homeschool talk. Hee hee hee. Thanks for indulging me if you read this far.

Edited November 3, 2010 by lovetobehome

[TanuvasaMama]

:svengo:

:iagree: Holy smokes!

[Gooblink]

My word!! So happy the encounter ended well!! My heart is pounding just imagining it.

 

Whew!

[Debbie in London]

Oh my goodness! Glad your son knew what to do.

 

Debbie

[Starr]

Ds says to remind him that the mama is always there!

[ReneeK]

Yikes!! Wondering if he will go an investigate next time he hears noises coming from the bushes! Glad to hear everything is ok and he knew what to do.

[Kathleen in VA]

:svengo:

 

Definitely this!

[Storm Bay]

I'm glad all went well and that your ds did the right thing.

 

Always be careful around bears, especially around ones that start to make your yard part of their territory. One summer a mother bear with a cub & a yearling did that to my parent's land (5 acres) and the mother once stood up (aggressive move) when my dad went out the the garden and he was not in between her & her young. She'd been there a lot. She ended up under the ground & my dad had to pay a fine, but it was very unsafe. They are only afraid of people when they are not used to them (I mean black bears--grizzlies are just aggressive as are polar bears).

 

What many people don't realize is that if there are too many bears or if they've moved closer to water during a dry season that you cannot safely relocate them because the are so territorial.