A 37-year-old woman is severely injured after a bear attacked in New Mexico on Saturday (July 18).
The Incident
The unidentified woman was sitting on the deck at a ski lodge with her husband. The couple was watching the comet Neowise in the sky when the bear first approached them. They told authorities that the bear was a mere foot away from them.
The New Mexico Game and Fish Department tells media the attack took place in the outskirts of Los Alamos, though the exact ski lodge nor the victim was named.
The husband reported that his wife was chased by the bear then attacked in the parking lot. He called 9-1-1 and police responded to the scene. Police shot and killed a bear in the vicinity that was eating trash. The DNA sample from the deceased bear and the DNA from the woman’s wounds will be compared to confirm that it was the bear involved. “Evidence will be analyzed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Wildlife Forensic Laboratory to verify that this was the bear involved in the attack,” a spokesperson said.
KOB reports the woman suffered multiple injuries before she was taken to a nearby hospital. Then, she was first taken to Los Alamos Medical Center and later airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital. Her injuries included several broken bones, collapsed lung, bite marks, and scratches.
Bear Attacks in New Mexico
New Mexico Game and Fish Department spokesman Tristanna Bickford says that bear encounters aren’t uncommon. She explained bears sometimes use drainages to enter the city from Valles Caldera National Preserve. She said that they are most likely searching for food, which is what the bear, in question, was doing after the attack.
Tips For Staying Safe
Do not partake in direct eye contact with any bear as this is threatening to them. Do not run and try to make yourself appear as large as possible. Give the bear as much room to escape as possible, it does not want to feel like it is backed into a corner.
If the bear has not seen you, back away slowly. Try to escape and stay quiet and out of sight.
