Lynn O’Connor was on a walk with her dogs and neighbor’s dog this past September when she encountered a black bear moving rapidly toward them. The bear was charging, huffing and growling, and the Washington state woman wasn’t sure what was going to happen. So, instead of flight, her fight instinct kicked in. The 63-year-old punched the bear in the head a few times but that didn’t deter the bear. O’Connor dropped to the ground and curled tightly into the fetal position. The bear took a few swipes before the dogs began hounding it; O’Connor required 18 stitches and other medical treatment at a Spokane hospital. O’Connor saw the sow’s cub nearby going to the sow after the attack, which was a defensive move by the bear. Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife officers received a report on September 1 of a human-black bear incident with documented injuries on private property near Mink Creek Road in Ferry County.
On September 2, WDFW officers, with assistance from the Stevens/Ferry Counties Wildlife Specialist and houndsmen, located and lethally removed an approximately 120-pound black bear near the scene. At the time of removal, the team believed the black bear was the female bear involved in the incident. It was determined after removal it was a male bear. After the initial removal, the team made additional efforts to locate the female black bear. Those efforts were unsuccessful. The operations were suspended at the landowner’s request. Officers donated the black bear meat to the U.S. Air Force.
