by Timothy Martinez Jr.
With all the bear attacks taking place this year, it’s probably not surprising if records are broken, which is why campers have to be especially vigilant when going outdoors.
In Aspen, this weekend proved to be more of the same as two separate backcountry campers were bitten in their tents by a hungry black bear. This comes on the heels of another attack on an empty tent earlier this week, according to Chron.com.
The first attack on a camper happened late Friday when a bear jumped on a tent and bit one of the two men inside. The bear was scared off once the campers started shouting.
A second attack took place not far away a few hours later. A bear bit a man’s leg through the tent and seriously injured him. It stayed in the area despite other campers screaming and throwing rocks. It wasn’t until they started a fire did it run off.
Finally, a third incident took place Monday when a bear similarly attacked an empty tent.
There are two things that make these attacks alarming. The first is that officials don’t know how many bears are involved. This could either be the work of one rogue bear or possibly three. Either way, campers should be wary at all times.
The other aspect is that the campers had stored their food securely in bear proof containers (except the second camper who had an empty wrapper in his tent). It seems as though the bear(s) are associating tents with food even if they can’t smell anything.
Officials in Aspen have made some of the areas where backcountry campers go a no tent zone. They are currently on the lookout for the bear that is causing all the mayhem.
Remember, if you are going camping, read up on what to do if you see a bear.
