Bear Kills 93 Year-Old New Mexico Woman
By Joe Garner
Scripps Howard News Service
August 21, 2001
The 100-pound elderly woman didn't have a chance against a 275-pound bear in the kitchen of her home, wildlife officials point to bears desperate for food as the continuing cause of people-bear incidents.
A 93-year-old New Mexico woman was mauled to death by a black bear that broke into her home over the weekend, stunned wildlife officials have confirmed.
Adelia Maestas Trujillo of Cleveland, in north-central New Mexico, was killed "by multiple bite injuries," said Scott Wilson, associate director of the Office of Medical Investigator.
“I've never heard of someone being killed in their home by a bear.” — Don MacCarter, New Mexico Game and Fish Department
Trujillo, a great-grandmother who lived alone, was found Saturday morning, Aug. 18, on her kitchen floor when her son, Raymond Trujillo, came from his nearby home to check on her, authorities said.
"From our preliminary investigation, she was asleep during the night, when she heard a disturbance and went to investigate," Wilson said. "At that point, the bear pushed out the screen door and came at her through the window in the door. There was little evidence of a struggle."
Wildlife officials said the attack was unusual but shows black bears in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado are desperate for food. Spring frosts and summer drought have killed off choke cherries, service berries and acorns, which make up the animals' summer and fall diet.
"I've been here 18 years, and I've never heard of someone being killed in their home by a bear before now," said Don MacCarter, spokesman for the New Mexico Game and Fish Department. "But just like in Colorado, we're seeing bears in the towns and on the highways."
“Trujillo was an elderly woman who weighed in the vicinity of 100 pounds (and) who didn't have a chance against a 275-pound bear” — John Sanchez, Sheriff
New Mexico wildlife officials had been planning a meeting Thursday to deal with bear-people confrontations even before Trujillo's death. "Her death shows you how desperate the bears have become," MacCarter said.
Mora County Sheriff John Sanchez said Trujillo "was an elderly woman who weighed in the vicinity of 100 pounds (and) who didn't have a chance against a 275-pound bear."
Trackers with dogs found a bear they believe was the attacking animal and killed it Saturday afternoon. The bear was less than a half-mile from Trujillo's rural home, which lies on an acre of land in a community of 500 to 800 residents. The animal's carcass is being tested, Sanchez said.
"You hear lots of different stories that she was cooking, but she wasn't," the sheriff said. "We're still investigating, but the bear might have been hurt and she spooked him."
In Colorado, bears have been seen near malls and schools. As many as 16 sightings were reported in one night this month in Trinidad, Colo., said Todd Malmsbury, spokesman for the state Division of Wildlife.
Bear attacks also have been reported at campgrounds this summer, Malmsbury said, but "We haven't had a person killed in their home by a bear in the last 100 years."
Source: http://espn.go.com/outdoors/general/news/2001/0821/1242277.html
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