Cougar Smart New Mexico Poster Helps Boy Defend Himself from Bear

You've heard about the Cougar Smart New Mexico Program - a collaborative effort among APNM, New Mexico Department of Game & Fish, US Forest Service, Santa Fe County Open Space & Trails, and New Mexico State Parks – to develop and distribute cougar safety materials to help keep people safe in "cougar country." Thanks to information he read and remembered from a Cougar Smart poster at a trailhead in the Manzano Mountains, a Sufi student correctly protected himself from an encounter with a bear.
According to a Game & Fish press release, Patrick Almy awoke Tuesday morning to a small cinnamon-colored black bear sitting on top of his tent. The bear scratched Almy when he tried to get out of the tent and out from under the bear, according to Department of Game and Fish Officer John Martsh, who interviewed the Sufi student later in the day.

In a written statement, Almy said that he tried to run away from the bear, but then remembered what he had learned on a “cougar poster” he read while visiting a campground in the Cibola National Forest. The posters are being widely distributed throughout New Mexico’s "cougar country." In addition, colorful, waterproof cards that clip to a backpack and feature cougar safety information are available from APNM. Please contact us if you would like more information about how to receive these useful tools.

"I picked up a branch and some stones and threw them at the bear," Almy told Game & Fish. “The bear ran away, but stayed at some distance. I went back to my tent, but the bear was still close so I threw another rock."

Game & Fish stated that the bear was described as playful and curious rather than aggressive, and a live trap was set at the Sufi Foundation.

It is rare to see a bear or a cougar, but the occurrences are happening more often due to drought and development on land that was once wildlife habitat. Tell your friends and family that hikers and campers who encounter bears and cougars should stand their ground and not run, keep pets leashed and children close, and fight back if attacked. This is the second incident this year when fighting back terminated a bear encounter.


Related links:
- APNM.org/cougars - APNM's Cougar Campaign
- Common Sense Precautions for Coexisting with Cougars
- Cougar Smart New Mexico
- New Mexico Department of Game & Fish



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