Bear Mauls Washington Woman Walking Her Dog In Neighborhood

A Washington woman was walking her dog in her neighborhood when a black bear suddenly her, according to KIRO 7.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office confirmed the attack happened early Saturday morning (October 22) in a neighborhood outside Leavenworth. Someone called 911 to report the incident around 7 a.m. -- 45 minutes after it happened, deputies say.

“She was just walking along and apparently a bear had jumped out at her,” CCSO’s Chief of Patrol Adam Musgrove said. “The attack lasted, from what I understand, just a few seconds. She said she didn’t even really get a really good look at the bear itself.”

The woman suffered significant yet non-life-threatening injuries, returning home after the attack, authorities noted. She was eventually taken to the hospital.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife dispatched personnel and Karelian bear-tracking dogs to locate the suspected bear. Officials confirmed they killed the bear near the area where the incident took place later that morning. They also captured two nine-month-old bear curbs and transported them to a PAWS wildlife rehabilitation facility, according to a statement.

Musgrove said it's very rare for bears to attack despite being common in the area.

“Whenever there is a (bear) sighting, we encourage folks to call into RiverCom and make a report so we can get out there and make sure people are safe,” he added.

There have been 20 black bear and human encounters resulting in injury since 1970 in Washington, including Saturday's incident. Only one person has died from a bear encounter in the state's recorded history, according to WDFW.