A Pennsylvania woman is recovering in a hospital after a vicious assault by a mother bear Tuesday, ABC News reported.
The incident reportedly took place around 8:30 p.m. just outside the victim’s house. Lee Ann Galante, 55, stepped out to let her dog, a small black Pomeranian, enjoy the backyard, a police report stated, the outlet reported. With injuries across her arm, face, neck and head, Galante’s condition necessitated urgent medical attention, police said, according to ABC News. She was reportedly rushed to the nearby hospital following the attack, law enforcement added. Upon investigation by Pennsylvania Game Commission officials, they discovered the bear family, a mom and her three cubs in a tree, according to police, the outlet reported.
“I thought I was going to die.” A woman who was hospitalized after being mauled by a mother bear with her cubs is recounting the brazen animal attack. https://t.co/Q8ggtkwgcP
— ABC News (@ABC) March 7, 2024
To prevent further incidents, the Pennsylvania Game Commission intervened and euthanized the adult while ensuring the cubs were safely tranquilized and relocated, police said, ABC News stated. (RELATED: Bear Infiltrates Mountain Resort, Attacks Security Guard In Kitchen)
“It’s very unfortunate that something like this has happened. Generally with wildlife encounters and our residents in Pennsylvania, it’s very enjoyable. This is something that we don’t look forward to investigating and we hope that the victim is OK,” Game Commission Director Jesse Bish of the Northwest Region stated, WTAE reported.
Galante shared her ordeal from her hospital bed and described the moment she feared for her life during the bear attack. “She had me down and she was on top of me,” she told WTAE. “I thought I was going to die.”
“I never thought this would happen to me,” she continued, according to ABC News.
“Then she got me by the back of my head and she was pulling so hard on it — I thought I was gonna get scalped,” Galante told WTAE, ABC News reported. “She pulled so hard that it did pull the skin from the back of my ear and I have stitches back there.”