The idea for this column had its genesis on a hiking trail in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., about five years ago.
It was the last day of a family trip, and we decided to enjoy one final hike in the San Bernardino Mountains. My wife, our two children (then about 10 and 8), and I are not avid hikers, but it was a beautiful day, and we felt the call. As we made our way up the trail, another family was coming down hastily. Its patriarch, a concerned look on his face, stopped us and warned, “There’s a mother bear just around the corner with her cubs. You might want to turn back.”
Now, I’m no wildlife expert—but even I know you don’t want to mess with a mama bear and her cubs. I was surprised to find that my family seemed less concerned than I was. My oldest son suggested we simply take a different trail in the other direction, but I insisted we get back in the car pronto and head home. As I navigated the zigzagging curves of Highway 18, I kept thinking to myself, “Did my family really just come that close to getting mauled by a bear?”
I told PJ Media Managing Editor Paula Bolyard (perhaps a bit dramatically) about my family’s brush with death, and that kicked off our regular exchange of news stories about wild animal encounters—and even attacks. I soon learned that a “bear attack” search in Google would yield something recent and shocking—and not just from the remote forests of Russia and Canada. American citizens were also being attacked by bears, mountain lions, and bison!
Of course, the numbers are very much in your favor. Scientific American reports that you’re most likely to be attacked by a large predator in South Asia:
In this region, tigers, wolves and leopards hunt humans extremely rarely, but they do prey on them when the opportunity presents itself. The Sundarbans mangroves of India and Bangladesh were a hotspot for tiger attacks on people fishing and gathering forest products.
You’re safest in wealthy countries like the U.S.
Such unprovoked attacks take place more frequently in poorer countries, the study found. In highly developed countries, people encounter predators mainly during leisure activities: joggers awaken the hunting instinct in cougars, dog-walkers trigger territorial behavior in coyotes, and hikers accidentally get between mother bears and their offspring or surprise male bears as they roam the forest.
One source indicates that in California, you have a 1 in 127,129 chance of dying from a wild animal attack—not likely, but still far higher than the odds of dying in a commercial plane crash. But just as when a plane crash occurs—even though they are extremely rare—viewers of the news shudder to imagine the horror the passengers must have felt in their final seconds, I always read these stories of frightening encounters with empathy. If I had to choose, I’d rather go down in a fiery plane crash than face the terror of being ripped apart by a wild cat.
This column will highlight recent wild animal attacks and encounters. Please share any stories I might have missed in the comments, and if you’ve had any scary and/or dangerous encounters, I’d love to hear about them.
Hiker’s Friend Watches in Horror as Brown Bear Drags Man Into Bushes on Mountain
Polar bears are often considered the most dangerous bear species to humans, but brown bears also pose a significant threat. A 2019 study documented 664 brown bear attacks worldwide between 2000 and 2015, including 95 fatalities.
One can only imagine the horror the young victim—who was in his 20s—felt during this fatal attack in Japan:
The victim shouted his friend’s name, who after rushing to catch up, witnessed the man trying to fight off the brown bear, which then dragged him into the bushes, according to The Asahi Shimbun.
It’s stories like this that sometimes make me rattle my keys when I’m hiking alone with my son. Don’t call me paranoid—park rangers actually recommend it.
Man Mauled by Black Bear While Walking Dog, Marks 2nd Attack in 1 Week
The victim of this attack in Alaska was prepared with bear spray, as rangers recommend for anyone in bear country.
The man was walking his dog along the trail when a “black bear and her cub came out of the wooded area,” according to police.
His dog “gave him enough time to deploy the bear spray,” but he told officials the attack “happened so suddenly,” authorities said. It is unclear whether the dog was on a leash or not.
Fortunately, the man survived and was released from the hospital the same day. A man in Florida wasn’t so lucky….
Florida Confirms First Deadly Black Bear Attack in State History
As if Floridians didn’t already have enough to worry about with alligator attacks (“Hiker attacked by alligator in Collier County, third gator attack of 2025“), now a bear attack has made headlines. Sadly, 89-year-old Robert Markel and his dog were found dead.
Markel’s remains were found about 100 yards from his home, along with evidence that there was a physical encounter between a bear and a person. His dog was found with signs that it had been killed by a bear. Authorities also said signs that a bear had entered the house.
Yes, you read that right: “a bear had entered the house.” Unwelcome house guests are a perennial source of news stories….
Wild Video Shows Mountain Lion Strolling Into California Home, Coming Face-to-Face With Man Inside: ‘Locked Eyes’
The mountain lion entered through the front door, which was left open. And to think my wife chastises me for leaving the screen door open and letting in a few flies.
Jeff Tenney, who encountered the cougar in his mom’s home, is a braver man than I.
“Out of the corner of my eye, I hear and see and feel the large presence,” he told KABC. “[I] peeked around the corner of the dining room, and we locked eyes for a moment, and I knew it was a lion.”
The mountain lion walked in through the open front door of the suburban home and ran out the back door after spotting the human inside.
“I wasn’t scared. I was generally just, ultimately thinking about my dog, who was in the front yard,” he added.
We’ll end this inaugural column with video of the “silent stalker” casually entering through the front door.
Have you ever had any scary encounters with a wild animal? Share in the comments section!
