Boy Hurt by Bear Returns Home

The idea behind UCLA’s UniCamp is to take underprivileged children out of their poor, violent neighborhoods and immerse them in the peacefulness of the wilderness.

But Juan Valle, an 8-year-old from Watts, discovered the hard way that the wilderness has its dangers, too.

At 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, while Juan and his fellow campers were asleep in their cots, a yearling black bear wandered in and took a couple of swipes at the boy, gouging his scalp twice and then swatting his face, just missing his left eyeball.

But his close encounter with the animal hasn’t dampened Juan’s enthusiasm, his counselor said Thursday.

“He was sad because he couldn’t go back to camp,” said 20-year-old Showshan Yang, who awoke to Juan’s screams and scared the bear away by yelling at it.

Juan, with the back of his head swathed in white bandages and several gashes across his left eye, came home groggy and tired Thursday after a checkup from his doctor, but otherwise was in good condition.

Dr. Alan Perry Sr., who spent three hours cleaning and stitching up the boy, said the deepest scars will eventually be covered by hair. Once healed, the slashes across his eye--which missed his eyeball by less than half an inch--should not be very noticable, Perry said.

Juan’s fellow campers, much to their dismay, also were sent home, where the potential dangers are at least a bit more run-of-the-mill.

Meanwhile, animal regulators from the California Department of Fish and Game continued their search Thursday for the 125-pound bear, which eluded their search dogs and traps throughout the night. Once captured, the bear will be tested for rabies and other diseases that might have caused such erratic behavior, then destroyed.

“I would feel uncomfortable knowing this animal is out there, because it might associate people with food or people as food,” said Bob Stafford, who is in charge of the state’s black bear program. “It’s not the bear’s fault, but what are you going to do?”

Although bear attacks in California are rare, averaging only one a year according to state records, bears are not--about 20,000 are believed to live in the state. Most, however, are afraid of people and are easily scared off.

The student-run University Camp, or UniCamp, for 60 years has taken little urbanites to a variety of wilderness sites, this year leasing the Girl Scouts’ spot in the eastern part of the forest near La Crescenta. For a month and a half this summer, a rotating group of UCLA students will lead about 100 8-to-14 year olds each week through the camping basics: arts and crafts, hiking, swimming, archery, overnight hikes and the like.

Camp program director Kristin Braun and the student counselors are hoping that the bear is found and removed in time for the camp’s next session, scheduled to begin Saturday. Otherwise, another group of children--all whose families income fall below the poverty line--will have to go without the only summer camp many have ever been able to attend.

“Camp is very important for these children,” said Braun, recalling how much fun Juan was having during his first trip to the forest, especially in Astronomy Night earlier this week. “To see the joy of a child when they see stars for the first time is amazing. The attention and the love they get showered with at camp is often unmatched at any other place.”