STRAFFORD, Vt. — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department responded to a report of a bear attack Saturday in the town of Strafford.
Susan Lee, 61, was walking her two dogs, a Jack Russel terrier and a Labradoodle, on trails around her property, according to a news release issued by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department on Monday.
Lee told officials she recalled her dogs moving out of sight when she heard a loud noise and noticed a bear was charging at her.
"Ms. Lee stated that she tripped on a stone wall as the bear charged her," the release reports. "She then felt pain on her upper left leg and realized the bear was on top of her and had bitten her. Ms. Lee stated that her Jack Russel terrier intervened by barking at the bear, which got off her and appeared to focus on the dog. Ms. Lee stated that she got up and retreated down the trail, followed by her terrier, and without further sighting of the bear."
Once Lee made it back to her home, she called 911 and contacted her neighbor for transportation to the hospital. She was treated at Gifford Medical Center for injuries not considered life-threatening.
"She sustained a bite wound on her upper left leg and multiple scratches between two and nine inches long on both her sides," the release says.
Following the attack, Game Warden Sergeant Jeffrey Whipple and Game Warden Kyle Isherwood responded to the scene of the attack, joined by Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Bear Biologist Jaclyn Comeau, according to the release.
They determined the bear was a mother with cubs, and the attack was "likely provoked when Ms. Lee and her dogs surprised the group," the release stated. Officials tried to find the bear but were unsuccessful.
“Bear attacks are extremely rare in Vermont,” Comeau said in the release. “However, at this time of year, black bears are moving in family units, and mothers will be protective of their cubs. If confronted by a bear, it is essential to remain calm and back away slowly, and to fight back immediately if attacked.”
