Maine Woman Bitten by Black Bear After Punching It in Her Back Yard Sunday Morning

It was a terrifying morning on Sunday for one Maine woman and her dog.

According to WABI TV 5, a woman was at her home in Porter, Maine, when she heard her dog barking out in the yard.

Concerned at what the dog could be barking at, she went outside to investigate what could be going on. This is when, according to the news station, the unsuspecting woman came face to face with a Maine black bear.

Trying to get her dog away from the bear and to safety inside the house, the woman got too close to the bear and as a result, she was bitten, WABI stated. The woman then punched the bear, who appears to have then retreated back into the woods, according to the news station.

Authorities from the Maine Warden Service report that the woman was taken to a hospital in New Hampshire for treatment of puncture wounds to her wrist area, according to WABI.

The bear has not been seen since the attack happened yesterday, the news station reported, though the Maine warden service has set up multiple live traps to attempt to capture the bear alive.

According to nearby residents per WABI, the bear had been seen on multiple occasions in the neighborhood eating birdseed.

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife states that bears are most active from April to November and that removing potential food sources can limit potential conflicts with them and other critters.

The department also notes a series of things you can do if you encounter a bear on its site, but if one does come in contact with you to "fight back with anything at hand (knife, sticks, rocks, binoculars, backpack, walking stick) or by kicking."