Coco Update

So Coco is doing much better now. It's good that we brought her to the vet when we did because she was hurt much more severely than we had realized. It turns out that it WAS a brown bear that attacked her because the gash was much too deep to have been a black bear (which are smaller). The wound went deep into her snout, punctured her sinus cavity, and left a hole in the roof of her mouth! Poor Coco!

She got stitched up and is on antibiotics now. She is such a trooper! The only thing that she acts upset about is that her head has a cone on it to keep her from scratching at the stitches. Other than that, Coco shows no pain. She's had encounters with bears like this before, and pain makes her angry. If she gets hurt, it only riles her up more and makes her want to keep attacking! Coco's owner says that usually twice a year, Coco will attack the porcupines in the area. This typically results in someone prying her mouth open and reaching down her throat with pliers to yank out all the quills. And the amount of quills down Coco's throat are so great in number that you KNOW they couldn't have been from just one bite- she goes back for more!

It turns out that the bear Coco was chasing has been living in our yard, sleeping in the bushes! There is a bear trail behind the trash burning area where the vegetation has been trampled, and behind that, a bear bed. It's a depression in the grass where the bear has been sleeping.. and it's pretty close to the house! Coco's owner says that this happens a lot, so she's going to have to get a trap for the bear so that it can be relocated. This bear will be back, no question about it.

Coco's owner is standing in the bear trail, right where the battle between Coco and the bear took place the night before. The burnt grassy area in the foreground is where the bear was looking for food.

There is a trodden down path through the grass where the bear has been walking through the yard.

And this is where the bear has been sleeping behind the bushes.

Usually the trap will be baited with dead salmon, which is supposed to attract the bear right away. Coco's owner says that this doesn't work well, because bears prefer sweet things. After several days of unsuccessful luring, a slice of birthday cake usually does the trick.

I'll make sure to keep you all updated about our bear problem! Stay safe out there!