Maine Woman Bitten After She Punches Black Bear

It really should not come as much of a surprise that, if you physically attack a wild animal, you should expect to get bitten for your troubles.

That's exactly what happened to a woman in the Oxford County Town of Porter.

According to WABI, a woman was hospitalized after an incident that happened in her backyard on Friday morning.

The article explains that, when she heard her dog barking, she stepped into her yard to investigate.  That is when she spotted the bear.  While we are not entirely sure how the situation played out, it does appear that the woman punched the bear.  That is when the bear bit the woman.

The woman was taken to a hospital in New Hampshire.  Fortunately, it does not sound like her injuries were serious.  The article seems to indicate that she just ended up with punctures (teeth marks) on her wrist.

This was not the first time the bear had been seen in the woman's neighborhood.  According to the WABI article, the bear had been seen in previous days in nearby yards eating birdseed that had been left outside.

The bear has not been seen since the incident.  The hope, of course, is that the bear can be taken alive.  That is why officials have set two live-capture culvert-style traps.

So, why did she punch the bear?  According to the National Park Service, if you do encounter a bear your best bet is to attempt to escape.  However, they also say not to run or play dead.  As a last resort, the NPS website says that you should fight back.  Maybe the woman found herself cornered and felt that punching the bear was her only means of getting out of the situation.

Regardless, we hope you are able to avoid getting into an altercation with a dangerous animal this summer.  Enjoy the beauty of Maine, but please be safe.