WESTHAMPTON, Mass., Sept. 13 (UPI) — A Massachusetts man’s trail camera survived an assault from a bear that ripped it free from a tree and attacked it with its mouth and paws.
George Graham said he and his wife, Gerri, planted a trail camera near their Westhampton home and the device caught the attention of a passing bear Aug. 7.
The bear spent about 4 minutes knocking the camera free of its perch on a tree before pawing and mouthing it on the ground for about 10 minutes.
Graham said the camera survived the encounter and recorded minute-long videos of the sky whenever the wind set off its sensors until it was found on the ground.
Laura Conlee, black bear project leader for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries, Wildlife and Habitats, said bears often attack trail cameras when their sense of smell alerts them to food residue from the hands of the people who set up the cameras.
Graham said he is planning to return the camera to its perch, but this time with a bear-proof box.
