Bear Attacks Owner’s Horse

When police are faced with a possibly dangerous bear they need to know what their options are before going into the situation. While discharging a weapon is often considered the last resort, an officer needs to realize that that is something they may have to utilize if public safety is at risk.

As the aid of the Arizona Game & Fish Department was unavailable, an officer from the Department of Public Safety deemed it necessary to shoot and kill a black bear earlier this month.

What called officers to the bear’s attention was a call from a resident that explained that a bear was attacking her horse.

When officers had arrived on scene, the woman told police that she had witnessed the bear attack her horse. As she walked outside her home she saw that the bear was chasing her horse while taking swipes at it. The deputy had met up with the DPS officer who had responded to the call with a rifle ready for possible use.

According to the report made by the deputy, the bear was a male black bear, 120 pounds and 5 ½ feet tall. When the bear noticed officers it stood on its hind legs and commenced to walk towards them. However, both officers made enough noise, which forced the bear to retreat up into a tree.

As there were no AZGF in Graham County at the time, as they were all receiving training in Tucson, it was up to the officers discretion to put the bear down or not. After the deputy advised the sergeant from Graham County of the situation it was deemed necessary to put the bear down.

This decision was also made it part because of previous actions of the bear attacking the horse and also because residents were vacating their homes to see what was going on.

Of course, in a situation like this it is important to consider all the factors that are available as well as the devices that can be employed for maximum safety. One self defense device that could have been employed instead of a traditional firearm is bear spray. Those that deal with animals on a regular basis know the importance of utilizing spray canisters that will not just protect them from animal harm, but will prevent them from having to shoot and kill a bear.

Once the spray has been employed it will render an animal incapable of continuing with their actions, which gives the authorities involved enough time to take the animal into a safer environment where they can transport the bear to a different location.

The benefits of owning bear spray are far greater than killing one and losing another of these great animals.