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IdaBriggs

(10,559 posts)
8. Actually, this is a real thing.
Mon Dec 9, 2013, 02:29 PM
Dec 2013

Last edited Mon Dec 9, 2013, 03:06 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.livescience.com/15569-bear-attack-forensic-investigation-dna-analysis.html

Identifying the Guilty Bear: Forensic Science Heads Into the Woods Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer | August 15, 2011 12:00pm ET 0 0 0Share0

A violent encounter took place at the end of June, in the wooded area behind a Canadian woman's back porch. Roughly four days later, a police dog found 72-year-old Bernice Evelyn Adolph's body after her daughter became concerned after not hearing from her mother. And the site, about 150 yards (137 meters) from Adolph's home, became the scene of a forensic investigation.

Her body, which bore obvious signs of animal feeding, was found partially covered in pine needles and debris. Shortly afterward, a conservation officer who arrived at the scene behind Adolph's home in the British Columbia town of Lillooet identified the incident as a likely bear attack.

Fatal bear attacks such as this one are rare: You are more likely to die in a lightning strike than to be killed by a bear. But it's summer, the peak season for bear-human conflicts, and reports of serious, sometimes fatal, encounters are making headlines around North America and abroad.

Just as for a violent crime committed by humans, those responding to a fatal or serious bear attack investigate the circumstances, collect evidence and even confirm the perpetrator's identity using DNA left at the scene and taken from the suspect. This step, made possible utilizing advances in genetic techniques, allows investigators to say with greater certainty that a dangerous bear no longer poses a threat, and, in some cases, protect innocent animals.

In Lillooet, conservation officers began collecting evidence and set up snares nearby. After an attack like this, bears will often partially bury their kill and return to feed later, said Rod Olsen, an inspector with the Conservation Officer Service. Meanwhile, they searched nearby woods by helicopter for likely culprits. Ultimately, the investigators found and euthanized five bears, the last on July 9, after the animal showed up in a snare near where Adolph's body was found.

<more at link>


ON EDIT: Bolded the direct answer to the original post.

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