Patterns of wild carnivore attacks on humans in urban areas

Abstract

Attacks by wild carnivores on humans represent an increasing problem in urban areas across North America and their frequency is expected to rise following urban expansion towards carnivore habitats. Here, we analyzed records of carnivore attacks on humans in urban areas of the U.S. and Canada between 1980 and 2016 to analyze the general patterns of the attacks, as well as describe the landscape structure and, for those attacks occurring at night, the light conditions at the site of the attacks. We found that several behavioral and landscape-related factors were recurrent elements in the attacks recorded. The species for which the attack locations were available (coyote and black bear) attacked in areas with different conditions of landscape structure and artificial light. Specifically, black bears attacked more frequently in areas with abundant and aggregated vegetation cover and scarce buildings and roads, while coyotes attacked in a broader range of landscape conditions. At night, black bears attacked in generally darker areas than coyotes. By providing a comprehensive perspective of the phenomenon, this study will improve our understanding of how effective strategies aimed at reducing the frequency of risky encounters in urban areas should be developed.

Brown bear attacks on humans: a worldwide perspective

“…For each attack, we recorded the following information: (1) year; (2) month; (3) location of the attack; (4) time of day, classified into three categories, i.e. twilight, day and night; (5) sex and age (subadult, <4 years old; adult, >4 years old) of the bear; (6) sex and age of the victim 21 , where age was classified into two categories (child, <13 years old; adult, >13 years old); (7) human party composition, simplified into four categories 33 : (a) adult alone, (b) child alone, (c) adult in a group, and (d) child in a group; (8) result of the attack, i.e., injury or death; (9) human activity at the time of the attack, three categories: (a) leisure activities, e.g., hiking, camping, fishing, berry/mushroom/antler picking, (b) hunting and (c) outdoor work, e.g., guarding livestock, farming, logging, wildlife-related fieldworks; and (10) attack scenario, i.e., the main reason that could have triggered the attack. We defined five different scenarios: (a) attack by a female with cubs; (b) sudden encounter with a solitary bear, i.e., when a bear (except females with cubs) was surprised at a close distance; (c) predatory, i.e., when the bear deliberately attacked and/or killed a human with the presumed purpose of consuming it 26 ; (d) dog-related scenario, i.e., one or more dogs were present at the moment of the attack; (e) wounded bear (i.e.…”

“…Here, traditional prevention practices have been lost and people are no longer used to sharing the landscape with this large carnivore 15,20 . At the same time, human population is growing all around the world, leading to an expansion of urban areas towards natural habitats 21 . In addition, in developed countries, people living in cities are increasingly engaged in recreational outdoor activities in natural parks 2 , and owning a second house in natural areas outside the city has become a common trend 22 .…”

“…Several studies have investigated attacks on humans by brown bears at local scales, suggesting a general increase in the number of incidents over the years in different regions of the world (e.g.) 1,14,21–24 . However, most of the published literature on the topic is concentrated in North America and Scandinavia, and large-scale studies are lacking.…”

The ecology of human–carnivore coexistence

“…Human coexistence with large carnivores poses one of the greatest conservation challenges of our time. From tiger ( Panthera tigris ) and leopard ( Panthera pardus ) attacks in rural Asian villages ( 1 ), shark-attack hotspots ( 2 ), to brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) conflicts in urban areas of North America and Europe ( 3 , 4 ), carnivores pose real and perceived threats to human life, livelihoods, and property ( 3 , 4 ). As a result, humans kill carnivores either preemptively or in retaliation, making human-dominated areas highly lethal for many animals ( 5 ).…”

Polytrauma from a North American Black Bear Attack

“…4 Habituation to human food and the presence of domestic dogs have been factors in many bear attacks. 1,[7][8][9][10] Fatalities are infrequent; from 1900 to 2009, 63 deaths from North American black bears were reported, the majority of which were the result of predation by adult males. 8 According to Pennsylvania game commission records, there have been no known fatalities from wild black bear attacks in Pennsylvania and only 3 other nonlethal attacks since 2011.…”