Wardens explain decision to euthanize bear punched in nose by Porter woman

PORTER — Maine game wardens would have preferred not to euthanize a bear that bit a resident of Porter, a small town in Oxford County, last week. But on Friday, officials from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife explained why it was done.

“Foremost, the bear needed to be tested for rabies due to the unusual and aggressive behavior, and there is no live test for rabies, as you need to test a portion of brain tissue. The bear had also lost its fear of humans,” said Mark Latti, spokesman for the department. “It had been foraging in people’s yards, where it had been seen by multiple people. This bear was just seen at a residence where it had gone onto a second-floor deck to reach birdseed the night before this woman was injured.

“Third,” Latti said, “moving a bear does not prevent this from happening again. We would just be moving the problem to another area. We have relocated problem bears that have traveled over 80 miles to get back to where there is food. Bears that find food in backyards will return and over time become more brazen.

“It also did bite someone, and what our biologists have learned from other states through sharing information through the Eastern Black Bear Technical Committee is that once this happens, there is a high probability it will happen again. We absolutely cannot afford to take a chance of this happening again,” he said.

The bear had been involved in a tussle with a woman on June 30. Investigators said Lynn Kelly, 64, of Porter, had been working in her garden when her dog Scooby started barking and ran into the woods. The dog started yelping and then ran out of the woods with a bear in pursuit, Latti said.

Kelly confronted the animal and punched it in the nose, Latti said. The bear bit her, puncturing her right wrist.

The bear fled back into the woods.

Kelly was treated for her wound.

Over the weekend, the department set two traps and the 140-pound, 2-year-old male was captured and euthanized. The rabies test came back negative.

The decision to euthanize the bear drew criticism in the ensuing days. Many accused the wardens of acting too hastily and punishing an animal that was only defending itself. Some believed the bear was a mother protecting her cubs, which did not prove to be the case.

“It always is a difficult decision to euthanize an animal, especially when it could have been prevented,” Latti said. “Unfortunately, this bear had lost its fear of humans, due to people in the area leaving food outside.”

Black bears live throughout Maine. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recommends that people keep their distance and not corner or agitate any bears they see.

“Unfortunately,” Latti said, “this is what can happen when bears continue to come to residences to eat food such as bird seed, garbage, pet food, and other items. It is why we always remind people to remove attractants from their yard. Incidents like this can be prevented if food is removed, as bears will leave the area in search of other foods.”