DeBARY, Fla. – A woman walking her dog Thursday night in DeBary was attacked and injured by a black bear, which was then killed by Florida wildlife officials, authorities said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the woman was walking her dog near Madera Road around 9 p.m. when she was attacked by the bear.
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The woman, whose first name is Aydee, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including scratches on her face, hands and back, and called 911 to report the attack, wildlife officials said. Her dog was not harmed.
“I let go of the dog and I just started running and she took running behind me,” Aydee said. She said the dog got lost but was found Friday morning.
“I was thinking maybe because I had the dog with me she felt threatened or something,” she said.
A witness also called 911 (listen below), detailing the attack.
“I’m in DeBary and a woman was being chased by a bear,” the caller said. “She was attacked, actually. That bear was not scared of humans.”
FWC officers and Volusia County deputies found an adult female bear with her yearlings in a nearby tree, officials said. FWC bear biologists darted the adult bear in the tree and humanely killed it, per FWC policy to protect public safety.
Wildlife officials said the three 100-pound yearlings are old enough to survive on their own, so no attempt was made to capture them. Aydee is not happy about that.
“I’m an animal lover too but those aren’t friends. She was trespassing my house,” Aydee said.
Anyone who feels threatened by a bear can call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC. To learn more about bears and how to avoid conflicts with them, visit MyFWC.com/Bear or BearWise.org.