ODFW Warning Of Bear Encounters

“It’s definitely been a bad year for bear damage," said Michelle Dennehy, with Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, of last week’s incidents  In Bend, a cub was spotted in a neighborhood Wednesday.  It was tranquilized inside the city’s utility department compound Thursday morning.

“We think it just kind of got confused and wandered into town, and we do see that occasionally.   There are instances where we can relocate those bears, like we did in this case.”

That wasn’t the case in Medford, where a bear attacked a woman inside her own yard, that animal was later shot and killed by police.  Dennehy said these incidents can be prevented.

“You might’ve heard the saying, ‘a fed bear is a dead bear.’  Don’t feed the bear because once they get used to it, they’re going to keep coming back; they’re going to get more and more aggressive.”

If you encounter a bear, Dennehy says don’t run, avoid eye contact, raise your arms to appear large, and make a lot of noise. 

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