Bear with 3 ‘yearlings’ bites 74-year-old woman walking dog, Connecticut officials say
A woman was out on a morning walk with her dog when a 250-pound mother black bear walked over and bit her, officials in Connecticut said.
The bear was with two of her three “yearlings,” Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesman Paul Copleman told McClatchy News on April 21. Yearlings are young bears 1 to 2 years old.
The 74-year-old woman was treated for the “non-life-threatening” bite injuries on her arms and legs after she was bitten the morning of April 21 in Avon, according to a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection news release.
Since the encounter was considered an attack, the bear was euthanized, officials said.
The reason the bear may have approached the woman is unknown as officials work to gather more details, according to Copleman. However, the fact that it was trash day in the neighborhood may be a potential factor behind the encounter, he said.
The bear had “a track record of taking advantage of trash and bird feeders in residential neighborhoods for food,” Copleman said.
As for the bear’s yearlings, they were ready to live independently in the wild because bear yearlings are full-grown, according to Copleman.
He added that the mom would’ve likely been ready to kick them out of her den this time of year.
In Connecticut, the amount of conflicts between people and black bears are on the rise, according to a state report published in March.
Many “bear-related” conflicts are a result of bird feeders and trash, the report said.
Avon is about 10 miles west of Hartford.
This story was originally published April 21, 2023 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Bear with 3 ‘yearlings’ bites 74-year-old woman walking dog, Connecticut officials say."
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