(CNN) — A 7-year-old boy was attacked by a bear in the backyard of his home in Westchester County, New York, and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Tuesday morning, police said.
The boy was in the yard of the North Castle home when he was attacked around 11:16 a.m. local time, the North Castle Police Department said in a news release. Authorities did not provide details about the boy’s injuries.
“The parents were there and helped the child without fear,” North Castle Police Chief Peter Simonsen told WABCCNN affiliate.
Officers responding to a 911 call about the attack arrived and found the bear still in the yard, police said.
The bear “continued to pose a danger to first responders and area residents” and was euthanized at the scene, police said.
“Our concern was that it wouldn’t go back, so at one point it did move forward and when there are so many humans you would think an animal of that type would normally go back and it didn’t,” Simonsen told WABC. “The normal reaction for bears is to run away, especially when there is a lot of activity and noise, they usually retreat.”
The bear was taken to the Westchester County Health Department to be tested for rabies, according to a spokesperson for the health department.
The bear was described as a male black bear larger than a cub but not yet an adult, WABC reported.
Black bears generally prefer to forage in the wild away from people and attacks are rare, according to the United States Forest Service.
“Most of the time, a wild bear spots you first and flees the area,” points the forest service. “However, black bears that have become accustomed to humans and their food cannot run away.”
The agency advises those who encounter black bears to remain calm, keep looking at the animal, make a lot of noise, and back away slowly while keeping children and pets close, including other tips.
2023-08-23 05:37:00
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