FIGHT BACK

Woman Punches Black Bear in the Face to Save Dog

“The bear looked at me, and I looked at the bear. I think we both scared each other,” Lynn Kelly, 64, said.

A Maine woman suffered injuries after fighting off a black bear to protect her dog. On Friday morning, Lynn Kelly, 64, heard her dog barking only to discover a black bear chasing after her pet. Kelly called for her dog to return to her, but when it finally did, the black bear was right on the canine’s heels—and suddenly, she was face-to-face with the beast. “The bear looked at me, and I looked at the bear. I think we both scared each other,” Kelly told WMUR 9. She tried to yell and frighten the bear to no avail. Her fight or flight instinct then kicked in, and Kelly punched the bear square in the snout. The bear fought back, biting her in the hand and wrist, causing her to bleed. Kelly called 911 and was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where she was treated for four puncture wounds. Wildlife officials are advising pet owners not to attempt to get between a bear and their dog.