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Bear scares camper at Summit rest area
6/21/03
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - A Torrington man escaped an encounter with a large black bear at the Summit rest area with only scratches on his back and paw prints on his pickup truck.
Robert Jenkins had camped near the Lincoln Monument just off Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne early Tuesday morning. When he came out of the restroom about 3 a.m., the bear was coming toward him from behind the building.
''I ran all the way to my truck,'' he told the Torrington Telegram.
The bear managed to tear his shirt and scratch his back in three places. It also left a muddy print on the side of his truck.
Jenkins said he was glad he had left his pickup unlocked.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department classified the encounter as one that was not provoked.
''It was just kind of a chance encounter,'' the department's Jeff Smith said. ''He happened to be where the bear was.''
A game warden confirmed there were bear tracks at the rest area. The agency will try to trap the bear to see if it is hanging around or was simply passing through, Smith said.
6/21/03
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - A Torrington man escaped an encounter with a large black bear at the Summit rest area with only scratches on his back and paw prints on his pickup truck.
Robert Jenkins had camped near the Lincoln Monument just off Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne early Tuesday morning. When he came out of the restroom about 3 a.m., the bear was coming toward him from behind the building.
''I ran all the way to my truck,'' he told the Torrington Telegram.
The bear managed to tear his shirt and scratch his back in three places. It also left a muddy print on the side of his truck.
Jenkins said he was glad he had left his pickup unlocked.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department classified the encounter as one that was not provoked.
''It was just kind of a chance encounter,'' the department's Jeff Smith said. ''He happened to be where the bear was.''
A game warden confirmed there were bear tracks at the rest area. The agency will try to trap the bear to see if it is hanging around or was simply passing through, Smith said.
