Bear attacks Connecticut boy in his grandparents' backyard

Morris, Connecticut - A 10-year-old boy was playing in his grandparents’ backyard in Connecticut when a black bear attacked him. Police then fatally shot the animal.

A black bear attacked a child playing in his grandparents' backyard in Connecticut on Sunday (stock image).
A black bear attacked a child playing in his grandparents' backyard in Connecticut on Sunday (stock image).  © 123rf/bobhilscher

The 250-pound black bear attacked a child, who was playing near the trampoline in his grandparents' backyard, on Sunday around 11:00 AM.

Per the Associated Press, the boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He had a puncture wound on his thigh, bite marks on his foot and ankle, and claw marks on his back.

James Butler, the boy's grandfather, described the attack to Republican-American of Waterbury newspaper, saying, "I heard him yell 'bear' and when I looked up, I saw his leg in the bear’s mouth and the bear trying to drag him across the lawn."

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Butler, a wheelchair user, said he maneuvered his chair towards the animal and threw a metal bar at it. The bear let go of the boy for a second, only to grab him a second time and try to drag him back into the woods.

Experts warn negative bear interactions may increase

Luckily, a neighbor heard the screams and came racing into the yard. They scared the bear off by swinging a pipe and yelling.

Once Butler and the boy were safe and sound inside the house, the bear returned to the yard. Butler told the paper he was afraid the animal was going to come through the screen door.

Law enforcement officers from Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and state police responded to the incident and killed the bear.

State biologist Jenny Dixon told the Associated Press that as Connecticut’s bear population grows, loses its fear of humans, and gets introduced to human food, the risk of negative bear-human interactions will increase.

Cover photo: 123rf/bobhilscher

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