A Montana woman saved herself and her elderly collie from a bear attack by hitting the bear over the head with a 14-inch zucchini, sheriff’s officials say.
The woman had let her three dogs into her backyard for a bathroom visit around midnight. Two of the dogs started barking and ran away. The third, a 12-year-old collie, who isn’t very mobile, stayed close to the woman.
According to an AP story, a bear suddenly started attacking the older dog, “batting the collie back and forth.” The woman kicked the bear hard, and the bear swiped at her, ripping her jeans. She tried to shut the door on the bear, but the bear stuck his or her head through the door. The woman held the door hard with one hand, and reached back. With her free hand, she grabbed a fat 14-inch zucchini she had picked from her garden that day.
She launched the zucchini at the bear. The bear ran off.
The collie went to the vet’s but seems to be unharmed. The woman had some scratches, and was very shaken by the event. The zucchini lived to be photographed by sheriff’s authorities, as you can see from the photo above. Its fate as evidence or a side dish is not known.
Apparently the 200-pound black bear had been eating apples from the woman’s apple tree about 25 feet away from her house. The dogs startled the bear, and the mayhem began. Black bears are usually shy creatures, avoiding contact and conflict. The bear may have been frightened, and perhaps was acting out against a perceived threat. But I’m no bear expert. Check out this article — How Dangerous are Black Bears? — if you want to learn more about their danger factor (or lack thereof).
