Bear suspected in car attack in rural Mississippi

It's a situation unheard of in Mississippi; a bear mauling a car. But according to bear biologist Jamie Holt with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, there is little doubt it happened in Sontag on Feb. 23.

"It's the first one I've ever heard of (in Mississippi)," Holt said. "A lady noticed it about 7:30 a.m. when she went out that morning.

"There were pretty extensive chew marks and claw marks to the front left and right wheel wells and to the hood near the latch. It looked like it was trying to get into the engine bay. There was damage to one of the headlights. The front tag holder was ripped off and was laying on the ground. A bear tearing into a car is not unheard of, but this one was unique in that there was no sort of attractant in or near the car that would cause a bear to do that."

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What Holt found even more odd was there was a trash can nearby that was untouched, which is typically a target for a hungry bear. There were rotten apples in the yard and they were undisturbed as well. Holt also said the woman did not have groceries in the car that day and she does not eat food in the car, so there were no residual scents that he could identify that could have caused the bear to maul the car in search of food.

"The only thing that was touched was the car around the engine bay," Holt said. "It was just an all-around odd situation."

But he has little, if any doubt it was a bear.

"As far as evidence of a bear, there was a large hind foot track under the carport," Holt said. "It was kind of a wet, muddy track. You could pretty easily tell it was a bear track."

He also said the claw marks and teethmarks on the vehicle were consistent with those of a bear.

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While there are no firm estimates of Mississippi's black bear population, it is clear it is growing and expanding in range. Each year bears are reported in areas where they have not been seen in modern times. When spring arrives this year and bears begin feeding heavily, Holt said he expects even more reports of sightings.

If a bear is encountered, MDWFP encourages allowing it to move along on its own. If it does not and exhibits defensive behavior such as snapping its jaws or doing short push-ups, waving your arms and making loud noises are recommended. 

To avoid conflicts with bears, MDWFP recommends keeping garbage secured and not leaving pet food outside at night.

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