According to The Los Angeles Times, a massive black bear attacked an ultra-runner in Yosemite Valley last weekend.
Jon-Kyle Mohr, 33, had been dreaming of his 50-mile run for years, but never did he imagine encountering bears. On Sunday, he set off from his home in June Lake, above the Sierra Nevada, and ran down to the Yosemite Valley. As he was nearing the end of his journey, just after nightfall, a towering black bear pounced on him from behind, catching him off guard.
As soon as Mohr felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, he was suddenly brought down. He quickly realized that a group of people were shining their flashlights at him and shouting, “Bear!”
As Mohr was standing there, he suddenly came face to face with a ravenous black bear that appeared to be daring him. The bear had dropped a bag of food waste from its mouth during the collision, and without much warning, it was charging straight towards Mohr. He was caught off guard and didn’t know what to do.
As Mohr was running, suddenly he started shouting and slamming his running poles onto the pavement. He was in trouble as a bear was approaching him. The nearby campers heard his screams and quickly rushed to his aid, armed with pots and pans. They banged them loudly, creating noise to scare off the bear. Their efforts paid off as the bear quickly retreated into the woods, under the cover of night.
Despite a few scratches, Mohr was fortunate enough to not sustain any severe injuries during the incident. He considers himself incredibly lucky to have survived the encounter, especially considering the strength behind the bear’s initial attack. “If it had really wanted to cause any significant damage, it easily could have,” he admitted.
Although black bear sightings are not uncommon in Yosemite, attacks are extremely rare. The recent reported incident of an “accidental collision,” as mentioned by the Times, is even more uncommon. According to the park’s records, there have only been eight “incidents” involving bears as of July 6. Surprisingly, this number is actually down by 20 percent from 2023, which had a total of 38 bear incidents.
As he reflects on his own bear encounter, Mohr can’t help but wonder how fortunate he was that it occurred towards the end of his long 16-hour journey. Had the circumstances been even slightly different, Mohr may not have been able to escape unscathed.
He marveled at the strange and random collision that had taken place. He couldn’t help but think that if he had rested his feet for just 20 seconds longer at any point during the sixteen hours, the collision would never have occurred.
