Greg Welter
Jan 30, 2009
SOURCE: Contra Costa Times
A mature black bear found ill on a hiking trail Wednesday in upper Bidwell Park died overnight Thursday, according to California Department of Fish and Game biologist Henry Lomeli.
The bear was found by a hiker on the Yahi Trail. Wardens and Lomeli were told it was dead, but it stirred as onlookers approached it about 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Lomeli and two game wardens responded to an area near Brown's Hole and found the animal barely breathing.
"Its respiration rate was about three per minute," Lomeli said.
It was suspected the bear, a 7-year-old male weighing about 225 pounds, was suffering from tick paralysis, a condition which can quickly cause respiratory failure. Lomeli administered a tranquilizer by hand, then removed about 40 ticks from an area below the bear's ears. He said he feared that neurotoxins from the insects had already overwhelmed the animal.
"Removing the ticks is the only treatment, and animals often recover," Lomeli said. He noted that deer, dogs, and sometimes even young children can be susceptible to tick paralysis. The bear was given an ear tag and moved farther up into the park, near the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. Lomeli guessed that's where its habitat had been. "We came back to check on him Thursday morning and found him deceased, apparently from respiratory failure," Lomeli said.
Other than the paralysis, which can come on quickly, Lomeli said the bear was extremely healthy and well fed. "I don't think he suffered for long," he said.
The body of the animal was placed in a freezer at the Oroville fish hatchery, and will later be sent to Sacramento, where it will be used by Fish and Game officials for educational purposes. Bear sightings in upper park are common, Lomeli said
