Holy cow! Here's the scariest press release I've gotten all day:
From the NM Game & Fish Department:
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| This is the bear believed to have attacked woman |
RATON – A large black bear broke into a home north of Cimarron and attacked an elderly, bedridden woman Tuesday night. A bear believed to have been the attacker was caught and killed by Game and Fish officers today. The woman received minor injuries.
The 82-year-old woman, who asked to not be identified, was in bed with the doors and windows open when a bear broke the latch on a screen door and entered her room. The housekeeper went in about 10 p.m. to close the doors and turn off her light and found her with scratches on her nose and head. The housekeeper applied first aid but didn’t find it necessary to call for further medical assistance. Game and Fish officers were called the next morning when it was apparent that a bear had broken the screen door.
Conservation Officer Kyle Jackson contacted Hap Blacksten, a local houndman, who was able to find the bear with dogs. The bear was killed and taken to the Veterinarian Diagnostic Center in Albuquerque, where it will be tested for rabies.
“This was a large male bear, probably weighing over 400 pounds,” Officer Jackson said. “Comparing it to the marks on the door, we believe this is the bear that broke in, but there was no apparent reason for the bear to enter the house.”
Normally, food smells entice bears into camps or homes, but there was no food in the bedroom. The housekeeper said she didn’t hear a sound and there also was a dog in the house that didn’t alert to the bear.
Anyone who lives in bear country should make sure that their doors and windows are locked. Windows and doors left open for ventilation are easy entryways to bears and other wildlife looking for food.
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