A man living near Cloquet, Minnesota is recovering after being injured by a bear this week.
That man was letting his dog out about 4:30 in the morning.
"As far as we understand, the dogs startled the bear, and the bear and the dog were getting into it. The dog was bitten by the bear."
That's Andrew Tri, a Minnesota Bear Project team leader, explaining how the encounter took place.
"And the gentleman raced in to rescue the dog," Tri says. "He kicked the bear, and then the bear ended up biting in a couple places, on his chest and his arm."
Tri says everyone is okay but it's a reminder that we do still live in bear country, even if these types of encounters are extremely rare. Minnesota's black bears are seldom aggressive and rarely injure people - they are naturally cautious animals that usually try to avoid human contact.
"At that time of year, where bears are out and about, feeding a lot more at nighttime than they typically do," adds Tri. "Because they have to put those 20,000 calories per day into fat to get ready for winter."
It's also another reminder that our dogs are a big part of our lives.
"You know, these dogs are a part of our families," Tri says. "I feel like in the same situation, I don't know if I would have had the wherewithal to not do exactly the same thing he did. This man is super brave. We don't recommend that you charge into a situation like that, but, you know, instinct takes over often, and you're looking to protect your family."
The bear ran off, and the man and his dog are recovering just fine.
The DNR recommends anyone who encounters a black bear at close range not run, but instead make themselves appear large and make plenty of noise. You can find out more about how to be safe in areas with bear populations at bearwise.org.
