BUTLER, Pa. — A woman was injured in a bear attack while letting her dog outside, and Pennsylvania game commission employees killed the mother bear and tranquilized her three yearling cubs, authorities said.
Butler Township police said the 55-year-old woman was attacked after letting her dog out behind her home Tuesday night. She was taken by ambulance to Butler Memorial Hospital and then Allegheny General Hospital for treatment of injuries to her arm, face, neck and head.
Police Chief John Hays told the Butler Eagle he believes there was some kind of interaction between the bears and the woman’s dog, which was uninjured. He said an officer was nearby and reached the scene relatively quickly.
One of the victim’s neighbors, Michael Vero, said it “was nerve-wracking to hear her screaming.”
The adult bear was found nearby with its three cubs in a tree, and was killed after she “continued with her aggression,” police said. The yearlings were tranquilized and will be released elsewhere if rabies is not detected in the sow, Game Commission spokesperson Travis Lau said in a statement.
Vero said bears had been in the neighborhood for a few weeks, and he was nervous for his children’s safety.
“I was on edge then; now that they’re out of here, it makes me feel a little better,” he said.
Another neighbor, Nancy Godineaux, told the Tribune-Review that she had seen a bear in the neighborhood at least 10 times in the month before the attack, and that another neighbor’s doorbell camera recorded four bears rummaging through trash cans.
In a shocking turn of events, a woman in a rural area outside her home survived a bear attack that left her injured but alive. The incident occurred when the woman was taking out the trash late at night and came face to face with a mother bear and her three cubs.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, recounted the terrifying experience of being suddenly attacked by the mother bear as she tried to retreat back into her home. She suffered deep lacerations and puncture wounds on her arms and legs before managing to escape and call for help.
Local authorities were quickly alerted to the situation and arrived on the scene to find the mother bear still in the vicinity, aggressively protecting her cubs. In order to ensure the safety of the woman and the surrounding community, the decision was made to euthanize the mother bear.
Following the mother bear’s death, efforts were made to safely tranquilize and relocate the three cubs. Wildlife experts were called in to assist with the operation, which proved to be a challenging task given the cubs’ young age and the heightened emotions surrounding the incident.
Despite the tragic outcome for the mother bear, the woman’s survival is being hailed as a miracle by many in the community. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of coexisting peacefully with wildlife and taking necessary precautions when living in areas known to be frequented by bears.
In the aftermath of the attack, local authorities have issued warnings to residents about the potential dangers of encountering bears in the area. They have advised people to secure their trash properly, avoid leaving food sources out in the open, and be vigilant when venturing outside, especially during dawn and dusk when bears are most active.
The woman who survived the bear attack is currently recovering from her injuries and receiving support from friends, family, and mental health professionals. Her bravery in the face of such a harrowing ordeal is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and serves as a reminder of the unpredictable and sometimes dangerous nature of wildlife encounters.
