A black bear was killed on Friday in the United States after she attacked a 74-year-old woman in Connecticut who was walking her dog in a Hartford suburb.
State environmental officials reported that the woman had bites on her arms and legs and was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities located the 12-year-old female bear, who weighed 250 pounds (113 kilograms), shortly after the incident and killed her. The animal had been tagged as part of the state’s bear tracking program.
Jenny Dickson, the director of the wildlife division of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said that the bear was in the area with three cubs.
Bear hunting is not allowed in Connecticut, but the wildlife department has requested the legalization of hunts in areas with more human-bear conflicts.
Dickson emphasized that the state’s bear population is expanding, and many bears have become accustomed to humans and food-conditioned.
She suggested the bear’s reaction to the dog or her search for food in the garbage could have contributed to the incident. According to Dickson, the cubs are old enough to survive without their mother.
Connecticut has seen a growing number of human-bear interactions, including a bear who was killed after being found inside a Salisbury home.
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