Black Bear in ER

[denim]

link

Bear's hospital visit turns fatal
A black bear ended up with more than a sore head when it activated automatic doors and wandered into a US hospital.

Startled doctors, nurses and patients saw the 345lb (156kg) animal walking through the emergency ward and into an office full of computers.

Two police officers trapped the bear inside and decided the best option was to shoot it dead rather than try to sedate it and risk an escape.

No-one, apart from the bear, was injured at the Virginia hospital.

Short legs

"I was walking down the hallway and there was a big, black bear coming towards me," security guard Dan Thompson said.

"He turned and went into the office on the right hand side. I'm glad he did."

It seems that when the full-grown bear walked in front of the Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital in Rocky Mount, Virginia, it triggered a sensor that opens the building's doors.

Ambulance driver Lee Nelson, who was the first to notice the bear, said he could not believe his eyes.

"At first I thought (it was) somebody in a bear costume...But when I saw the short legs, I've seen bears in my life and when I saw it running with short legs, I knew this ain't no joke."

The police officers thought about trying to sedate the bear but fearing it might get free they shot it twice and killed it.

Wildlife experts say black bears, which are protected within the boundaries of US national parks, are usually shy animals.

They are not normally aggressive towards people but some have lost their fear of humans, hunting through rubbish bins and even going so far as to beg for food at the roadside.

While I wish they'd called an animal control officer, I wasn't there. Maybe the critter could have broken down the door in the office it walked into.

Imagine if it'd walked into the hospital cafateria!

[sexymama]

Too bad they didn't sedate --- you'd think they would know how.

[iamnormal]

There isn't much choice in shooting it when you have it cornered. Trying to sedate it takes time for it to work and probley just piss the bear off.

[viejo gringo]

"are usually shy animals."
I know that , you know that, but did anyone ever tell a bear that????

Wonder what was on the menu in the cafateria the next day..

[maleficent]

I've done a lot of hiking in and around the Ramapo Mountains and in the area up near Woodstock in NY, in the past, and there's lots of bears in them thar woods, there a signs posted all around saying to make noise on the trails because as long as you are making noise, the bears stay away. (oh, and if a bear comes at you because of the noise, then run down hill because bears can't run downhill) luckily I never encountered a bear.

It was either last year or the year before that they allowed bear hunting in NJ because the population had grown so much, and they were becoming fearless of people (that and overdevelopment has taken over the bears land)

It just seems wrong to kill this bear because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[KellyC]

reading the thread title, I thought a black bear got beat up and ended up in the ER for surgery...I wish that would be true, instead of this...

[Nisses]

They did know how to sedate sexymama, that's why they did it twice, effectively killing the bear...

I'm not sure about what I would have done. They raise a valid point of the bear getting out. Imagine him stumbling into the OR. His mere presence might be enough to kill people there.

[raeanna74]

That must have been amazing to see that critter in such a setting. It's sad they couldn't have sedated it but I can see why they did what they did.

Just kindof ironic - an ER being a place for saving lives and yet having to kill. It's the bad part about development.

[ForgottenKnight]

Poor bear.... They should have just sedated him and relocated him.

[ForgottenKnight]

No-one, apart from the bear, was injured at the Virginia hospital.

What were they doing in the ER if they weren't injured?

[timalkin]

I'm sure the two gunshots in the hospital scared the shit out of the patients who hadn't yet seen the bear.

There really is no telling what the bear was doing in there. It could have just been hungry, or it could have been sick and willing to attack people. The police did the best they could in this case.

[Bill O'Rights]

It sucks to be that bear. He's just walking around, being a bear...and well, you read the rest. As we (as in humans) encroach further and further into wildlife habitat, you can't help but to expect more incidents like this popping up. What's a bear to do?

[jwoody]

Originally posted by NiceGuy
What were they doing in the ER if they weren't injured?

Well spotted NiceGuy. I had a semi-serious comment prepared before I read this.

Shame they had to shoot it though. Not being there, I'm not qualified to say whether they did the right thing or not.

[H12]

Originally posted by KellyC
reading the thread title, I thought a black bear got beat up and ended up in the ER for surgery...I wish that would be true, instead of this...

Bingo.

[BadNick]

Poor bear but I'm glad at least nobody else got hurt.

Lucky it wasn't a polar ...errr I mean PolOR Bear. Sorry for the cheap commercial plug but the title of this thread attracted me for this reason: I can't resist mentioning this cool product we make that provides comfort to surgeons and other workers in the O.R.: http://www.polorbear.net/start.html

[Spanxxx]

Been awesome if they had some photos of it just walking around in the hospital.