YOGI ALERT: Dave Smith of Kane set his pop-up camper at Twin
Lakes campground outside Wilcox at 8 a.m. Wednesday and returned
home. By the time he returned at 12:30 p.m., his little camper was
virtually destroyed – by a bear.

It’s Memorial Day, of course, the start of the summer picnic
season. So allow us to his Dave’s story as a warning about hungry
bears on the prowl.

In the few hours he was gone, Dave reports, the bear had torn
off the sides of the roof and mauled the back of the camper. He had
clawed up the side and, in using the battery as a step-ladder, had
torn it off. His license plate was also ripped up.

In all, the bear caused ,1,800 damage – and never got inside the
camper!

Dave surmises the bear was looking for some goodies. “If I knew
he was coming, I’d have left something out,” he said.

What a great start to Memorial weekend festivities!

BEAR ADVICE: Bears needn’t be feared, nor should they be
dismissed as harmless. They simply need to be respected.

That’s what the Pennsylvania Game Commission tells us. In the
past 10 years fewer than 15 people have been injured by bears in
Pennsylvania, and there are no known records of a Pennsylvania
black bear killing a human.

You might want to remember that if you have a “close encounter
of the bear kind” this summer.

Injury from a black bear is most often the result of a human
intentionally or unintentionally threatening a bear, its cubs, or a
nearby food source. The best reaction is to defuse the threat by
leaving the area in a quiet, calm manner.

If you have surprised a bear, slowly back away while talking
softly. Face the bear, but avoid direct eye contact. Do not turn
and run; rapid movement may be perceived as danger to a bear that
is already feeling threatened.

Avoid blocking the bear’s only escape route and try to move away
from any cubs you see or hear. Do not attempt to climb a tree.

And, finally for today’s bear warnings, remember the advice
about Yogi: Do not feed the bears!