California woman's 2023 death was state's first-ever from black bear attack, autopsy finds
An autopsy has found that a California woman who was found dead in her Sierra County home back in 2023 was killed by a black bear -- the first-ever recorded case of such a deadly attack. An autopsy has revealed that a California woman, 71-year-old Patrice Miller, was killed by a black bear in 2023 in her Sierra County home in Downieville, California, marking the first recorded case of such a deadly attack in the state. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that the attack killed Miller, with the initial investigation initially concluding that she had died before the bear got in. The incident is now the first documented fatal attack by an animal in California history. The bear involved in the incident was trapped and euthanized and DNA analysis was used to confirm it was the same bear. While human encounters with black bears are becoming more frequent in California, there have been serious injuries to humans, with some resulting in serious injuries. The increasing number of visitors to California's bear country and carelessness in securing food and garbage are blamed for this increase in encounters.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 10 เดือนที่แล้ว โดย By Cecilio Padilla ใน Science General
DOWNIEVILLE – An autopsy has found that a California woman who was found dead in her Sierra County home back in 2023 was killed by a black bear -- the first-ever recorded case of such a deadly attack.
Initially, deputies with the Sierra County Sheriff's Office responded to 71-year-old Downieville resident Patrice Miller's home on Nov. 8, 2023 to do a welfare check. Miller was found dead – and the sheriff's office said evidence pointed to a suspected bear encounter.
At the time, the sheriff's office said the initial investigation determined that Miller had died before the bear got in.
However, on Thursday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife revealed that the autopsy report they recently received confirmed that the bear attack killed the woman.
The Downieville incident is now the first documented fatal attack by a black bear in California history, CDFW officials said.
Wildlife officials also revealed that the bear involved in the incident had been trapped and euthanized. DNA analysis was used to confirm that it was indeed the same bear, CDFW said.
While human encounters with black bears are growing increasingly common in the California high country, reports of people being injured by the animals are extremely rare.
Still, some incidents between bears and humans have led to serious injuries – like in 2022, when a North Lake Tahoe woman came face to face with a bear in her home.
The increasing number of visitors to California's bear country, like the Lake Tahoe region, coupled with carelessness in securing food and garbage are what wildlife experts are blaming for the spike in bear encounters. Earlier in 2024, also noted that a record number of bears had already been evicted from Tahoe buildings.
Downieville is a Sierra Nevada community of less than 300 people, about 60 miles northwest of Truckee.
California is home only to one species of bear, the black bear. Unlike their grizzly bear cousins, the black bear has a more non-confrontational reputation when it comes to human encounters.
หัวข้อ: Wildlife, Black Bears