Police report bear attack on 7-year-old boy in Westchester County backyard in New York

(UC REVIEW) -According to police, a bear attacked a 7-year-old boy in his backyard in Westchester County, New York. The child was taken to a hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.

According to a news release from the North Castle Police Department, a young child was attacked in the yard of a home in North Castle around 11:16 a.m. Unfortunately, details regarding the specific injuries sustained by the child were not disclosed by authorities.

According to CNN affiliate WABC, North Castle Police Chief Peter Simonsen stated that the parents were present and bravely helped the child during the incident.

Police officers were called to the scene after a 911 call reported the bear attack. Upon arrival, they discovered that the bear was still in the yard.

According to the authorities, the bear posed a threat to both the locals and the first responders, which led to its euthanization on-site.

According to Simonsen, the bear’s behavior was concerning because it did not retreat despite the presence of a large number of people. As he explained to WABC, bears typically retreat in response to heightened activity and noise, but in this case, the animal advanced instead. Simonsen noted that this was not the typical reaction of bears and that they usually run away when faced with such situations.

According to the Westchester County Department of Health, the bear has been confirmed to be free of rabies after testing negative on Wednesday.

According to WABC, the bear was identified as a male black bear that was not quite an adult yet, but larger than a cub.

According to the US Forest Service, black bears usually tend to look for their food in the wild and typically avoid human interaction. As a result, attacks are uncommon.

According to the forest service, it’s common for a wild bear to sense your presence before you even notice them, causing them to flee. However, black bears that have grown accustomed to human interaction and their food sources may not run away. As per the notes of the forest service, this is an important distinction to keep in mind when encountering bears in the wild.

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