Photo By Carol Hawkins/Courtesy Meta: Brigham Hawkins suffered injuries to his face and arm in a bear attack in his family’s cabin in Alpine on Thursday.
By Jon Johnson
ALPINE – A 15-year-old Pima resident with a rare neurological disorder survived a bear attack in his family’s cabin in Alpine on Thursday night.
Brigham Hawkins, son to Shane and Carol Hawkins, of Pima, and other family members were visiting his grandparents’ property with several cabins. According to Carol, Brigham was inside one cabin watching Pokemon when a black bear came in through an open door and attacked him.
The bear took at least two swipes at Brigham before his calls for help alerted his 18-year-old brother, who managed to scare the bear outside to where they could shut the cabin door.
According to a news release from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, after the bear left the cabin it approached other family members before entering the cabin for a second time and swiping at Brigham’s arm. Brigham sustained injuries to his face and arm and was treated at a local hospital and released. He is recovering at his home in Pima.
According to the release, Arizona Game & Fish Department officers arrived at the scene and dispatched the bear. The bear was a male juvenile about 3 years old. Black bears are predatory animals and should always be considered unpredictable and dangerous. Wildlife officers are guided by the department’s human-wildlife conflicts policy which generally describes acceptable or unacceptable wildlife behaviors and the appropriate responses. Public safety is the department’s top priority in these instances. In that credo, the department killed the bear and brought its carcass back to Phoenix to be examined for disease. It is believed the search for food drove the bear onto the property.
This incident marks the 16th bear attack on people in the state since 1990. There have been two fatal bear attacks in Arizona since then, which is as far back as the department’s database tracks. The most recent fatality occurred last year in Prescott. Due to the recent attack, AZGFD is reminding those visiting or living in bear country to be “bear aware.” Below are some tips to avoid conflicts with bears.
When camping
- Always be aware of your surroundings.
- Keep food and attractants secured and inaccessible to bears. Do not keep food in a tent.
- Don’t burn leftover food or trash on the grill.
- Set up a campsite away from places where bears might forage for food, such as creeks, rivers, and other bodies of water.
When hiking
- Don’t wear scented lotions, deodorant, or perfumes.
- Make noise or hike in groups.
- Hiking with a pet? Keep it on a leash at all times.
In case of a bear encounter
- Do NOT run.
- Back away slowly while maintaining eye contact with the bear.
- Make yourself look bigger than you are by flaunting your arms or pulling your shirt/jacket up higher than your head.
- Throw items and yell at the bear.
- If attacked, fight back.
Source: Arizona Game & Fish Department
