A 67-year-old man fought off a black bear that attacked him on his porch Thursday as the state sees an uptick in encounters, likely a result of California’s relentless drought that’s sending bears into populated areas to forage for food, officials said. “I put my feet underneath his belly and kicked him, and the bear flipped backwards, but then he jumped back up”, Yepez said.
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The incident occurred around 4 a.m.at a home on Colorado Road near Highway 140 in Midpines.
Yepez said in the TV interview that he yelled at the bear and hit it with a plastic tub to try to get it off his porch. The veteran fought the bear off, but he sustained lacerations and puncture wounds to his face, body, arms and legs. “He was right on top of me”.
Injured and bloodied, the man drove to the hospital, where he was in stable condition Thursday, Stoots said. Chambers told the Sun-Star that Yepez, who lives alone, was recovering at his residence.
If the bear is caught, it will likely be euthanized given the severity of the attack and the extent of the injuries, said Stoots.
“Anyplace you have a lure for a bear, you’re going to likely have a bear”, Stoots said. The office is warning residents in the area to be aware of their surroundings and to keep an eye on children and pets.
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Such attacks are rare, but he said that black bear encounters statewide are on the rise, likely because of drought.
