Bear Attacks

Bear Attacks Blamed on Drought
By Amy Lewis, Weather.com, July 28, 2000

Camping is a way of life for Boy Scouts but recently campgrounds in one New Mexico park have seen more than their share of bear attacks. Officials are blaming the encounters on the drought. The Philmont National Boy Scout Ranch has been the site of six separate incidents so far this year."It should be pointed out that all the injuries were minor and were taken care of here at the ranch, except for one, which was sent to Taos for two days, and he has been discharged," said Comptroller Ron Bromley of the Philmont Scout Ranch. Bromley says the bears are acting out of desperation because the dry weather has slowed the development of their food source. "The bears are probably more active because they have less to eat because of the drought," Bromley said. "The berries didn't mature on time this year. Three or four months ago they should've matured." Chief of Pubic Affairs Luke Shelby of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department agrees. "We do feel that they are all exacerbated by the drought," he said.