Pennsylvania bear attack left two young children injured: officials

Two young children suffered injuries from a bear attack in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The five-year-old and 1-year-old were playing in the driveway of their home in Wright Township on Monday when they suffered non-life threatening injuries from a bear. They were treated for bites and scratches at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital but were later released.

The Game Commission, which is investigating the incident, said there are few details about the incident or what may have led to the attack. The agency has set two bear traps in the area.

The agency said that, if a bear is caught, DNA testing may be able to positively determine whether it is the same bear that attacked the children.

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Bears in the state typically avoid contact with people and rarely attack, according to the Game Commission.

“When attacks do occur, it often involves a situation where a bear is cornered and not given an opportunity to flee, or is triggered by a dog confronting a bear, and the dog’s owner becoming involved,” the agency wrote on Facebook.

The bear involved in Monday’s attack likely is not prone to attack, the agency said, adding that the attack was more likely triggered by “some unknown circumstance.” 

If the bear involved in the attack is captured, it will be euthanized as a precaution.

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“Bears have a natural fear of people, but they can lose some of that fear when living close to people, and especially if they’re fed,” the Game Commission wrote. “For this reason, it is unlawful in Pennsylvania to intentionally feed bears.” 

“But even without intentional feeding, bears can be drawn to properties where they can find an easy meal at a birdfeeder, by raiding compost bins or trash cans, or toppling a charred grill,” the post continued. “Those who live in bear country might consider removing these potential food sources from places where bears might get them, and where bears have been a problem recently, such items definitely should be removed.”

There are roughly 15,000 bears in Pennsylvania.