Hiker killed by a bear that he was photographing

Photo: Darsh Patel

A 22-year old New Jersey hiker, killed by a 300 pound bear in September, had taken a series of photos of the bear with his cellphone before it mauled him to death. Darsh Patel was hiking with four friends in the Apshawa Preserve, 45 miles northwest of New York City. The bear did not seem interested in food and exhibited "stalking behavior" according to experts who surveyed the photos. It reminds me of the time I saw a wild black bear cub in Colorado. Luckily I was at a safe distance and sitting on a balcony. He was a cute bear and I was tempted to go over to him but, soon after he appeared, a much larger mama bear came in search of her cub! It taught me to always have the ultimate respect for wild animals when encroaching on their natural habitat -- and especially when they weigh around 300 pounds! Here's a link to the Apshawa Preserve: http://www.njhiking.com/best-hikes-in-nj-apshawa-preserve/

More on the American black bear: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_black_bear