A fourth-generation Carpinteria woman is recovering after being attacked by an adult black bear earlier this week near her avocado ranch, an experience that she knows could have ended her life.
Emily Miles, who owns an avocado orchard in Ventura County, was walking in Rincon Canyon with her two dogs near the orchard about 1 p.m. Monday when she spotted a black bear on the trail chasing her two dogs and charging after her.
“That’s the hike I do almost everyday. It’s very normal for me,” she said.
Despite the familiar territory, a horrifying situation unfolded as the adult black bear, which Miles estimates weighed about 300 pounds, began to chase her down.
“It was a good-sized bear,” she said.
The animal knocked Miles to the ground, clawing her back and biting her thigh, but she fought back against the animal — actions that may have save her life.
“I gave it all I had,” she said. “I knew my life was on the line.”
She also knows that she easily could have not survived.
“I really thought, ‘This could be the end for me,’” she recalled. “I know that I’m very lucky to be alive.”
At the beginning of her hike, Miles had passed the home of a friend, and saw that her car was there, planning to say hello on the way back.
Instead, Miles ended up staggering up to the home after the attack and was driven to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment.
Her back was injured, a rib broken and the bear took a large bite out of her thigh. Miles’ husband, Bradley, said the space between the bite marks of the bear’s top and bottom teeth were 9 inches.
In the midst of recovering and planning for next month’s Avocado Festival — Miles sits on the board of directors — she has been barraged by calls from reporters, from both local and national outlets.
When Noozhawk spoke with Miles on Friday afternoon, Good Morning America had called her that morning asking for an interview.
“It’s been so overwhelming,” she said.
Miles and her husband ride horses on the trails near their properties, and own a camp in the High Sierras and said that bears are not something with which they’re unfamiliar.
“I’ve had a lot of bear encounters, but never one chasing me — never in this aggressive way. We see bear footprints and bear scat everyday,” she said, adding that she thinks that the drought may be driving the bears even farther into more populated areas.
Janice Mackey of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife said Friday that the department had placed bear traps in the area, but had not caught anything.
The department has launched a campaign to urge anyone who lives or plays in bear country to be safe.
Making noise to warn bears in the area that you are passing through, not running if you see one, trying to appear as large as possible and not approaching cubs even if they appear docile are key, Mackey said. Homeowners should work keep fruit fallen from trees picked up and trash covered.
“Bears are completely motivated by food,” Mackey said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
