Search underway for bear involved in attack on hiker Sunday in Red River Gorge
FRANKFORT, Ky. – More than a dozen wildlife and law enforcement officers are actively searching for a black bear that attacked a hiker Sunday afternoon in the Red River Gorge Geological Area north of Campton, Ky.
Springfield resident Timothy L. Scott, 56, reported that he was attacked by a bear as he hiked with his dog along the trail to Gray’s Arch near the Wolfe-Menifee county line around 2:30 p.m. Scott, who was clawed across his chest and suffered bite wounds to both legs, was treated for his injuries at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. He was released from the hospital today.
Sunday’s incident is the only known bear attack on a person in Kentucky in modern times.
“This is not typical black bear behavior,” said Wildlife Division Director Karen Waldrop of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We are aggressively trying to locate and trap this bear so that it can be euthanized for the public’s protection.”
Steven Dobey, black bear biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, said leghold snares are being deployed in the backcountry to capture the bear. A culvert trap has also been set up in the Koomer Ridge Campground. Waldrop said wildlife officials are patrolling roads in the area in an attempt to locate the bear.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s policy is to destroy any bear that shows aggressive behavior toward humans, or enters a house in search of food, Waldrop said.
“Mr. Scott did nothing to trigger this attack,” Dobey said. “He had no food in his possession and he defended himself appropriately. While these kinds of attacks by a black bear are rare, sometimes these animals act unpredictably.”
Scott told investigators that he was walking along a trail with his dog on a leash when he saw a black bear in the path. As the bear continued to approach, Scott released his dog, which then ran away. Scott threw several items at the bear, including his backpack, but it continued to approach him. Scott’s wife and son were further down the trail at the time.
Scott grabbed a 6-foot-long stick and began hitting the bear, striking the animal hard enough to break the stick. The bear continued onward and grabbed Scott’s legs.
A group of four hikers on the same trail saw Scott’s dog run past them and heard the stricken hiker’s shouts. The hikers arrived at the scene of the attack and saw the bear attempting to drag him away. The hikers yelled at the bear and threw sticks at it, which caused the animal to back away.
The attack stopped after the animal lunged at one of the four hikers – Indiana resident Anthony Goebel – who hit the bear in the face with his backpack. The hikers assisted Scott back to the trailhead off Tunnel Ridge Road, approximately a half–mile from the site of the attack. Dobey said the bear followed the hikers nearly all the way to the parking lot.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service has closed the Red River Gorge northeast of Natural Bridge State Resort Park to recreational use. The closure includes the Clifty Wilderness Area. Road access in the area is limited pending capture of the bear.
