Resident captures video of dangerous interaction between family dog and wild bear: 'We didn't know what to do'
The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department confirmed two black bear sightings near a popular recreational area in mid-June, sparking concerns among residents.
What happened?
As Keloland News reported, the bears were spotted roaming along the shores of Pelican Lake, located near Watertown, about an hour-and-a-half north of Sioux Falls. A video shared by local David Dalke showed one of the bears getting dangerously close to his dog, but he said the bear merely seemed curious rather than threatening.
Nonetheless, it was an unsettling situation, considering bears weigh hundreds of pounds and can easily hurt or kill smaller animals. Luckily, though, both animals walked away unharmed.
The bear was spotted again further down the lake at the end of a dock where locals were fishing. Thankfully, a boater passed by and called attention to the bear before it had a chance to do any harm.
"He saw us for sure," local Alexis Rowland told Keloland News. "We didn't know what to do."
Once again, the bear walked away shortly after. But the group was shaken up and shocked to see a bear at the lake, as black bear sightings are quite rare in the area.
"In my 40 years, I've never heard of a bear around here," Watertown resident Keith Pietz said, per Keloland News.
Why are black bears in South Dakota concerning?
While black bears are not considered highly dangerous to humans, they are still wild animals and can act unpredictably, especially when protecting food or cubs. And if people feed them, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they can become accustomed to seeking out food near human habitats and put both people and pets in danger.
When bears and other wildlife become conditioned to human food, it may force officials to euthanize them, which is sadly happening more often as human-wildlife conflicts increase.
Population growth, habitat destruction, and resource shortages caused by the changing climate have made it more difficult for animals to survive, leading them to seek out urban environments for resources.
Do you worry about air pollution in your town?
All the time
Often
Only sometimes
Never
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
All across the globe, residents have reported an uptick in bear sightings in residential areas, including in people's driveways, gas station parking lots, and campgrounds. As humans continue to encroach on bears' territory, it puts more pressure on the animals and limits their food availability.
In this case, it doesn't appear that the bear was searching for food, but the fact that it didn't seem too fazed by humans is concerning.
Luckily, black bears in South Dakota are still quite unusual, according to South Dakota GFP regional wildlife manager Nick Rossman.
"Black bears in our area are not common in northeast South Dakota, but occasionally we have seen similar juvenile-aged bears wander through the area," he explained to the Watertown radio station KXLG.
How can you protect yourself and bears?
The GFP recommends keeping pets and children under supervision when bears are sighted nearby and cleaning up any food that has been left out.
In the broader context, however, taking steps to conserve bears' habitats would benefit both wildlife and humans, as conflicts would likely be significantly reduced. Helping bears thrive in their natural habitats is crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems, as they regulate populations of other animals and contribute to overall biodiversity.
Participating in community-based conservation programs can help ensure bears have a safe and healthy environment, thereby reducing the likelihood of them venturing into human territory.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
17 hours ago
- New York Times
Ross E. Rowland Jr., a Driver of Steam-Train Preservation, Dies at 85
Ross E. Rowland Jr., who made his fortune trading pork belly futures on Wall Street but was never happier than when he swapped his suit and tie for a locomotive engineer's jacket and cap as one of America's foremost steam-train buffs, died on July 19 in Watertown, N.Y. He was 85. His wife, Karen Bendix, said the cause of death, in a hospital, was lung cancer. He lived in nearby Sackets Harbor, on Lake Ontario. The son — and grandson, and great-grandson — of railroad workers, Mr. Rowland had been in love with steam trains for as long as he could remember. He dreamed of getting to drive a locomotive of his own, and after founding one of the largest commodities brokerages in New York, he had the wherewithal to fulfill that wish. In 1966, he started the High Iron Co., which offered trips around the Mid-Atlantic States in authentic rail cars pulled by vintage locomotives — including, eventually, Mr. Rowland's pride and joy, the C&O No. 614, a 112-foot, 239-ton colossus that he bought and refurbished in 1979. Mr. Rowland was the prime mover behind the Golden Spike Centennial Limited, which in 1969 carried passengers from Grand Central Terminal in New York City to Promontory, Utah, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first transcontinental railroad. A few years later, he created the American Freedom Train, a traveling museum stocked with choice items from the Smithsonian Institution — George Washington's copy of the Constitution, Joe Louis's boxing trunks — that cruised through all 48 contiguous states in 1975 and 1976 in celebration of the country's bicentennial. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Colorado town closes popular trail for bear stuck in tree, advocates concerned about habitat loss
A popular trail in the Colorado town of Silverton had to be closed temporarily today after a bear became stuck in a tree. For a few hours Thursday morning, the Blue River Trail was closed after a walker let police know a black bear was perched up in a tree, directly above the path itself, near city hall. While Gail Marshall, a BearWise Volunteer, was able to help get the bear out of the tree, the bear eventually ran across the Blue River and back up another tree. Since it was no longer near the path, police reopened it to the public. Still, Marshall sat and waited, asking people walking their dogs and on bikes to go around the area so as to give the bear space to exit the tree, and make its way back home. She's partially motivated to help the bear so the alternative outcome doesn't come to pass. "You get to get tagged once (as a bear)," Marshall said. "The second time they're caught, they do get euthanized. If they're caught in a house with a person, they're automatically euthanized up in the mountains. We don't like to do that. We like to let them make their own decisions." Considering Silverthrone has plenty of overlapping locations that include the White River National Forest, it's both a bear and human habitat. Marshall said it's becoming a challenge as more and more construction pushes into the wilderness, where the bears live. "It's becoming encroached upon, and there's less space for them," said Marshall. Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported an increase in human-bear conflicts in 2024. They said it's important to remember to keep garbage secure, close your garage and not to leave food sources outside. As for how long she'd stand there, guaring the bear until it comes down, Marshall said as long as it takes. She said she's done hours-long stints before. "The head of the district called me and goes, 'You're still there?'. And I go, 'Yeah, you haven't told me I could stand down,'" Marshall recalled. "He started laughing, and one of the officers said, 'Yeah, she gets a little dedicated.'"
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
New Jersey workers rescue pregnant stingray in labor after washing up on shoreline
Barbara Maurer says sitting under the Ventnor Fishing Pier is her happy place. "I usually go to the beach about three or four times a week, and I go early in the morning," said Maurer, who lives in Galloway Township. On Tuesday, Maurer spotted something on the shoreline that caught her attention, and she knew it needed help. "I was walking along the beach and I seen this beautiful stingray, one of the biggest ones I've ever seen," she said. Maurer says she couldn't move the ray herself so she tracked down a group of workers with Ventnor City Public Works Department. "I could tell the stingray was alive because I saw its eyes moving and its tail occasionally move," Maurer said. The Public Works Crew brought in a front loader. The Superintendent told CBS News Philadelphia the workers quickly realized the stingray was in labor, so they carefully moved the sand underneath the ray about an inch or two at a time until they reached a point where the water was deep enough for the stingray to swim away. "We should not be surprised to see that kind of ray around here but we should be surprised to see it up on the beach like that," said Thomas Grothues, the Director of the Rutgers University Marine Field Station. Grothues believes it was an Atlantic stingray, which weigh about 40-50 pounds. He said stingrays usually have one to four babies at a time. "What's unusual here is that the ray is out of the water so it's probably stressed, so even if it wasn't quite ready to give birth it would do that," he said. The stingray was successfully released into the wild, and Grothues said the mom and her babies have a good chance of survival. "Those guys were heroes in my book because if you can save a life whether it be an animal, a person, a sea creature, they're heroes," Maurer said.
