It’s not every day that you walk into your house to find a black bear in your hall. But that’s exactly what happened to one man in upstate New York, who returned to his home in the Catskills town of Cairo, NY late last month to discover an aggressive bear inside.
According to a report from New York Upstate, the 63-year-old walked into his entryway around 8 p.m. and came face-to-face with the bear. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, the area of the home was used to store food and trash, likely attracting the bear. In its attempt to flee the scene, it either “bit or scratched” the man before evading authorities.
Environmental Conservation Police Officers found the man at a neighbor’s house, but weren’t able to immediately track down the bear. However, it was later found and euthanized.
“DEC does not take such actions lightly, and humane euthanasia is always a last resort when an animal is suffering or presents an immediate threat to public health or safety,” the agency said in a statement.
The 63-year-old was transported to the hospital with “several deep lacerations on his neck and arms,” according to The Albany Times Union. He was released the next day.
Black Bear Attacks Are Incredibly Rare
There has only been one recorded case of a fatal black bear attack in New York State history. In 2002, a black bear snatched a five-month-old baby girl out of her stroller in the Catskills town of Woodridge, mauling her to death.
Between the years of 1900 and 2007, only three fatal black bear attacks were recorded anywhere in the United States, including the 2002 Woodridge incident, a DEC report states. The organization estimates that between 6,000 and 8,000 black bears live in New York state, with more than half in the vast and sparsely populated Adirondacks region in the north.
