A female athlete in a marathon at a national preserve in north New Mexico was attacked by a bear, said wildlife officials. She suffered a lot of bites, scratches and injuries all over her head, neck, and upper body. They were serious, but not deadly.
When she was running Saturday afternoon, she met the female black bear at the Valles Caldera National Preserve, according to The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Reports say that she "surprised" the bear after its cub sprinted up a tree nearby.
She was helped by various other joggers, and then waited till the arrival of emergency crews. She was airlifted to a nearby Albuquerque hospital.
Currently, the Game and Fish and the National Park Service have issued a warning to various people to keep away.
There is a search that has been launched for the bear so that they euthanize it and then test it for rabies. Even though rabies is rare in bears, it can pose dangers to lives. The DGF announced: "it is nearly 100% fatal in humans if not properly treated."
The New Mexico DGF and the National Park Service asked everyone to avoid the area.
Bears are quite common around this region. As a commentator on Reddit put it: "Having lived/grown near the Valles Caldera preserve, super beautiful scenery, but full of brown and black bears, as well as mountain lions. I remember driving through the literal village we lived near and seeing bears on people's porches or out walking our dogs off the leash and having a mountain lion cross the road between us and the dogs. Fun stuff."
If you do come close to a bear, you can take some steps to keep yourself away from danger. Some do's and dont's recommended by the DGF:
Do not ever get in between a bear and her cubs.
Avoid direct eye contact with the bear, which may be thought to be a threat.
Slowly walk away, without running.
Hold out your jacket, and make yourself look bigger.
Give the bear some room to escape.
If you are attacked, you can fight back with some tools----maybe rocks or sticks. Aim to hit its nose and eyes.
