Port Orchard man attacked by bear is in satisfactory shape

A Port Orchard man who was attacked by a black bear while mountain biking Sunday in a Kitsap County park was in satisfactory condition Monday but remained in intensive care.

Anthony Blasioli, 51, had a brief conversation with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official Monday afternoon, and was adamant that it was a male bear that mauled him, not a mother bear with two cubs that had also been seen in the area Sunday.

"He said, 'It was on top of me and I'm positive it was a male bear,' " said Fish and Wildlife spokesman Sgt. Ted Jackson, who visited Blasioli at the hospital for about 15 minutes. Fish and Wildlife officers were still hunting the bear with a team of dogs Monday, with plans to kill it.

Blasioli suffered injuries to his face, shoulder and arm, Jackson said.

"From my understanding, it was his left shoulder that was heavily damaged," he said. "He's in a lot of pain and heavily medicated. You can tell he's still probably in a little bit of shock."

Blasioli was biking, with his two dogs, in Banner Forest Heritage Park near Olalla around noon when he encountered the bear, said Ron Powers, a battalion chief for South Kitsap Fire and Rescue. The dogs were in front of him on the trail when he heard them barking. He came around a blind corner and was face to face with the bear, Powers said.

The bear charged, and Blasioli picked up his bike to protect himself. But the bear reached through the bike and ripped at the man's arm, face, back, neck and ear before backing off, Powers said.

"We haven't had an unprovoked attack like this in a lot of years," Jackson said. "You'd have to go back 30 or 40 years at least."

Blasioli was able to get on his bike and ride away. He eventually encountered two other bikers, who called 911. He was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, where his condition was upgraded Monday from serious to satisfactory.

Authorities set five bear traps Monday at the park, which is expected to remain closed for two weeks. When caught, the bear will be killed. "When it attacks a person, we put it down," Jackson said.

If it turns out there are cubs linked to the bear, they would be relocated or taken care of until they are old enough to be released.

It was unclear from reports whether the man's dogs were leashed, and whether that had anything to do with the attack. One dog, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, remained missing Monday; Jackson said family members planned to search for it today.

Kitsap County Parks and Recreation requires that all dogs be leashed within Banner Forest Heritage Park, according to the county's Web site. Jackson said that's of minor concern right now.

The park, which is on the west side of Puget Sound, northwest of Tacoma, is a 635-acre public open space. The forest, which includes trees, ponds and wetlands, was acquired by Kitsap County in October 2000 after 10 years of community effort to preserve it.

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com