California woman attacked by a bear while walking her dog
MONROVIA, Calif. (NBC, KYMA) - A woman in Monrovia, California was attacked by a black bear recently as she was walking her dog.
That bear is likely a mother bear that's been seen in the area for some time now.
The bear and her two cubs were captured this weekend as officials investigate the attack, and decide what to do with the bear and her cubs.
Two young cubs can be heard crying after they were removed from their den under a Monrovia home on Oakglade Drive, near North Canyon Blvd, Sunday evening by officers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
"We can hear it cry sometimes, and the bear she just comes in through the hole in the backyard and they're under the house," said Richard Franco, a Monrovia resident.
Franco shared footage with NBC affiliate KNBC from his trail camera showing the mama bear in his neighbor's yard.
He says she's well-known in their community and is often seen roaming around close to the home where her babies are staying searching for food.
On Saturday morning, wildlife officials and the Monrovia Police Department were called out to this area after a woman was attacked by a bear while walking her dog.
"She's been a really good mother...Unfortunately what happens sometimes is she is in protective mom mode," Franco shared.
Wildlife officials say the woman was clawed in the back of her knee by a black bear and suffered non-life threatening inquires.
On Sunday, officers tranquilized the mama bear in order to get a DNA sample, to determine if she was the one involved in the incident.
"I think any human mother can understand the tendency to want to protect your young. That can often be a precipitating factor when an animal does attack," said Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation.
Pratt stressed that bear attacks on humans are extremely rare, and believes the mother bear likely felt her cubs were in danger, prompting her to instinctively protect her cubs.
"That is something they will probably consider is, after doing an investigation, what did happen here? And was this animal just somebody who poses a threat towards humans because it attacked randomly? Or was it protecting a cub?" Pratt remarked.
Wildlife officials say if the DNA comes back as a match, they'll consider public safety and the animal's condition before deciding what to do next, which could include relocating the mama bear and her cubs, or placing them in a sanctuary.
