A stock photo of a black bear.Photo: Getty
ABC 7 reported that during the overnight hours of May 1, a black bear approached the Tom Jones Shelter in Harriman State Park in Southfields, where a Boy Scout troop from Cooperstown was camping for the night.
The boy, Henry Ayers, was bitten through his sleeping bag as he slept. In reaction, Ayers and his fellow scouts screamed, which caused the bear to back away.
“I felt a really quick, sharp sensation, a pain in my leg,” Ayers told ABC 7 of the incident.
He continued, “I look up, and it was a giant bear. I thought it was a nightmare. It was honestly crazy I didn’t think I was awake.”
Nicols explained that Ayers' minor injuries were treated and all the children were moved into a shelter structure at the campsite. The Tom Jones Shelter, where the incident occurred, was temporarily closed following the encounter.
“We weren’t terribly concerned that the bear was hunting children, just a dangerous nuisance,” she said.
Nicols first wrote about the incident inFacebookpost on May 3 — alongside a video of the bear — saying they believe that the animal was looking for food.
“It grabbed the Scout’s lower leg through a sleeping bag, while rummaging around in some gear on the tarp they slept on under the stars,” she wrote. “The Scout yelled and kicked the bear, and it left for a while. It came back into camp a couple times, and this video is the final visit.”
Ayers told ABC 7 that he felt he had “made a mistake” with some of his food.
“I left some of my food in my bag and spilled some on my leg and it was also other people that left a lot of trash around,” he said.
ABC 7 reported that the boy was able to join the rest of his troop the following day for a hike and has since received nine rabies shots.
The bear, however, was euthanized a few days later after the incident was reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
“DEC’s Black Bear Response Manual deems such behavior ‘Class 1,’ with policy guidance to immediately euthanize the bear,” the statement continued. “On May 5, U.S. Department of Agriculture staff working with State Parks and DEC captured and humanely euthanized the bear following appropriate protocols.”
Nicols emphasized that this was not the bear’s fault, but rather the humans who have not followed proper protocols when visiting campsites.
“I hope if anything, I hope people learn that we caused this, humans caused this,” Nicols said. “I hope that we learn to do better.”
source: people.com
