An 85-year-old woman who wanted to feed birds and squirrels got more than she bargained for.
The woman, whose name wasn't released, was bitten by a bear attracted by a bucket of sunflower seeds, Division of Wildlife officials said Friday. She told wildlife officials that as she was putting out a fresh bucket the bear confronted her.
The woman tried to get back into her home but the bear bit her before she could close the door. The woman told officials that the bear that bit her Monday was one of four bears that frequently visited her backyard.
Shaun Deeney, of the Division of Wildlife, said that feeding bears will cause them to lose their natural fear of people. Otherwise, black bears naturally tend to avoid humans.The Division of Wildlife has to destroy any bear that bites a human."
This is a clear indication of why wildlife experts say that a fed bear is a dead bear. Feeding bears causes them to become habituated, and lose their natural fear of people. Habituated bears are a much higher risk to injure, or even kill a human," Deeney said.
The bear has not been captured.
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