Bear euthanized after woman bitten while walking dog

AVON, Conn. — A woman was injured in Avon, Connecticut, on Friday morning after she was reportedly bitten by a black bear.

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The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said that environmental conservation police, Avon police, and wildlife biologists were called out Friday morning for reports of a black bear attack in Avon, according to WVIT.

When officers arrived, they found a woman who was walking her dog on a leash on Berkshire Crossing Road when a black bear approached her. According to the news outlet, the bear then bit the woman on the arm and leg.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Black Bear Response protocol for an attack on a human is considered a category four response, according to WTNH. A category four response is “humane euthanization.”

The black bear that reportedly bit the woman was about 12 years old and had three yearlings or babies with her, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Black Bear Response said, according to WVIT.

The woman, 74, was taken to the hospital, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said, according to the news outlet. Her injuries are non-life-threatening.

It’s not clear why the bear attacked the woman but the agency said that bears oftentimes see dogs as wild predators. It also happened to be trash day where the food can attack bears in the area, WVIT reported.