Herd of cows fight bear

A rancher in Burns caught a fight between a black bear and a cow on camera. Experts say it's incredibly rare for someone to capture it on camera when something like this happens. During an evening check of the herd, the rancher saw a small black bear making his way across his ranch.mThe bear ended up going straight for one of his cows.

"I've seen maybe a similar thing, but not with a bear. But similar things where cows will get together and defend themselves and they can get aggressive," said Bill Hoyt, Rancher in Cottage Grove. At first the cow seemed to have things under control, but the fight turned. The bear began to gain the upper hand, something the cow's nearby friends noticed as well. "You know the old western movies you see them circle the wagons? Cattle will do the same thing, and it's a natural instinct to protect themselves in a group from predators," Hoyt said.



A second cow stepped in and headbutted the bear off its feet. The two cows then squished the bear between their heads. Hoyt says the whole thing likely only even happened because of the young cattle in the background. "They're more likely to fight when they have calves at side. And so the mother, the instinct of a mother is a lot stronger than the flight response," Hoyt said. But as is always the case with wild animals, knowing what motivates them to act is anyone's guess.

"It could have been just passing through there and the cows were trying to defend their young, or it could have been testing to see if it could take a chance at a calf," said Brian Wolfer, Oregon Dept. Fish & Wildlife. Wolfer says he doesn't think the bear was trying to attack the cow. He says this young bear could have been running from the photographer or just been curious. He says the fight is out of the ordinary, but to capture it on camera is even more rare.

With additional video.