Newton County, Arkansas – Wildlife officials found and euthanized a young bear believed to be responsible for the fatal mauling of a man. According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the juvenile bear was spotted on a camera at Sam’s Throne Campground – not far from where a Springfield, Missouri, man was attacked.
Arkansas Game and Fish personnel, along with personnel from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, reviewed the images and determined the bear appeared to be the same one involved in the fatal attack. The release states:
Local hunters were called and brought hounds to where the bear was photographed. The dogs began trailing the bear, treeing it shortly afterward. Sheriff Wheeler and an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Employee accompanied the hunters in pursuing the bear. After the bear was treed by the dogs, the hunters, Sheriff Wheeler and Arkansas Game and Fish personnel were able to get a better look at the bear and determine there was an extremely high probability it was the same bear.
Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said,
“I feel extremely confident this is the bear we have photographs of from the scene of the attack. We knew the bear in the photos was a male and this one is too. It matches the size of the photographed bear and has the same facial colorations. Not to mention it was back in the same area where the attack happened. That area is so heavily used by humans that most bears will avoid it. To be 100 percent certain, we will have to wait on possible DNA matches, but all indications are that this is the bear responsible for the fatal attack. This is a relief to me and the community, and I thank God for this outcome. This was a dangerous bear.”
The bear will undergo a necropsy in an attempt to match DNA from the attack.
The 60-year-old man killed in the attack was found not far from his camp site on October 2 after a family member requested a welfare check. The man had sent photos of a bear in the camp shortly before the welfare check was requested. Responding authorities found evidence of a struggle, and the man’s body had injuries that were consistent with “a large carnivore attack.”
(Stock image via Pixabay)
Thanks for reading, we appreciate your support!
Please support us by visiting our design store on Bonfire!
