AVON, Conn. — Editor's Note: The video above was published in March 2023.
A 74-year-old woman is recovering after a black bear attack early Friday morning in Avon.
The woman was walking her dog on a leash along Berkshire Crossing Road when a female black bear approached her and bit her on the arm and leg, officials with the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said.
The woman received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The bear was humanely euthanized at the scene, per the state’s Black Bear Response protocol which says a bear is euthanized after an attack on a human.
The female bear was around 12 years old and was tagged and collared since it was being monitored for DEEP's bear den population studies.
The bear had three cubs, but DEEP said the bear cubs are around the age where they would start being on their own.
Avon police, DEEP conversation police and DEEP wildlife biologists responded to the attack.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident on Friday is asked to contact DEEP at 860-424-3333.
Rep. Karen Reddington-Hughes said the attack underscores the need for "better wildlife management protocols in Connecticut."
"Without effective wildlife management the bear population will continue to increase, and these types of interactions will happen more frequently," she said in a statement. "Thankfully, it appears this victim will recover from bite injuries to her arm and leg."
DEEP officials warned that conflicts between bears and humans are continuing to rise in Connecticut. In 2022, DEEP saw a record 67 incidents in which bears entered people's homes. The second-highest record of bear home invasions was in 2020, with around 45 reports, followed by just over 30 reports in 2021.
This week alone, officials responded to multiple reports of bears entering homes.
A bear had to be euthanized this week after it entered multiple homes in Salisbury.
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