In the Oct. 7 print edition of The Western Producer, the Editorial Notebook column talked about B.C. rancher Wayne Ray and photos he took of his cow herd attacking a black bear. Here is one of his photographs.
Sometimes it is so rapid that nobody checks the facts. In Ray’s case, some media didn’t verify the source of the photos, leading to improper photo credit given.
Ray is making progress to remedy that problem, because he can readily prove his ownership of the photos.
I asked Ray if cow-bear encounters were common in his area, near Fort Fraser in central British Columbia. He thinks it is more common than people realize. He’s fairly certain that bears have killed some of his cattle in the past, although wolf encounters are more common.
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“The bear was pacing back and forth and wandering in circles like he was confused or couldn’t make up his mind what to do,” Ray wrote in an e-mail. In a later telephone interview, he told me the bear may have been suffering smoke inhalation from a nearby forest fire. Or, because the area has been so dry, it may have been addled by hunger. There are few berries and other food sources that would normally be available.
When the bear attacked, the cows were ready. Ray said “it made the mistake of turning toward the large blonde cow’s calf. She charged at the bear and knocked it flying, and immediately two other cows joined in and the three of them took turns stomping it with their front feet, kicking it with their back feet and crushing it the ground with their chests and their heads.”
The cows won the encounter and Ray thinks the bear was seriously injured, though it was able to limp into tree cover.
Who knew the secret life of cows was so exciting?
