Bear euthanised after attacking 7-year-old boy playing in his back garden

23 August 2023 , 14:10

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The bear was still in the backyard when police arrived (Image: CBS)

A bear was euthanised by authorities after it attacked a 7-year-old boy who was playing in a backyard.

The attack took place at the home in North Castle, New York, when the young boy was playing in his yard alongside his sibling. Suddenly, a bear cub emerged and launched an attack on the child. The child's parents, who were at home during the attack, rushed to administer aid to their injured son.

Upon receiving alerts about the bear attack, Westchester County emergency crews, including EMS workers from the Banksville Fire Department and Armonk Fire Department, rushed to the scene. The child received medical attention and was transported to hospital.

Despite the ordeal, he fortunately did not sustain any life-threatening injuries, according to the North Castle Police Department.

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Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Bear euthanised after attacking 7-year-old boy playing in his back garden

The boy did not suffer any life-threatening injuries, police said. (CBS)

When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, the bear was still present in the yard. Due to concerns about the bear's continued threat to residents in the area as well as the safety of first responders, officers made the difficult decision to euthanise the bear on the spot.

North Castle Police Department Chief Peter Simonsen said: "Our concern was he did not retreat, so, at one point, he did advance and when you have that many human beings, I would think that an animal of that kind would normally retreat and it did not."

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation took custody of the bear's remains for further testing.

Bear attacks are rare (Getty Images)

It comes as, a woman got the fright of her life when she was confronted by a huge black bear while taking her dog outside.

Gina Helsel, of Daytona Beach, Florida was stepping out of her home with her dog last Thursday, August 10, to scare away some neighborhood cats. But they encountered a much larger animal - a black bear that lunged at the barking dog.

Ring doorbell camera video captured the terrifying moment. It shows Gina peering around the porch with her dog, when suddenly a massive bear appears and charges toward them. Helsel and the dog quickly retreated into the home.

"The bear is mostly focused on the dog. It basically lunges, does a bit of a bluff charge. Then, when her and the dog retreat, the bear runs away," said a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Ring doorbell camera video captured the terrifying moment. (Gina Helsel /TMX / SWNS)

"They just all startled each other. She probably wasn’t prepared to have a bear sitting there, and the bear probably wasn’t prepared to have her show up with the dog," the spokesperson added.

Black bears are the only bear species found in Florida. The state wildlife agency estimates there are around 4,050 of them living in the wild.

While scary, encounters like Helsel's are rare. Black bears tend to be elusive and avoid people. Officials remind Floridians who live near bear habitats to secure food sources and garbage that might attract the large mammals.