Woman, 64, punches bear on nose to stop it chasing her dog | US News

Bear dog comp

Lynn Kelly required several stitches after fending off a black bear that came for her pet dog (Picture: Getty/7 NEWS Boston

A 64-year-old woman required stitches after fending off a black bear that had chased her dog.

Lynn Kelly, 64, was gardening outside her house in Porter, Maine, when her pet took off into the woods and gave chase to something that had started it.

The dog swiftly returned with a fully-grown black bear in hot pursuit.

Mark Latti, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said Lynn responded correctly to the encounter by making herself appear as large as possible.

However, he added it was not recommended to confront the black bears, as Lynne then proceeded to do by punching the bear on the nose.

Lynn told 7 News Boston: ‘He was a foot taller than I was and came at me. I tried to make myself as big as I could and was screaming and yelling.

‘I had to fight him off because I wasn’t gonna run from him, because I know they can catch you.’

Woman punches bear that chased her dog PORTER, Maine (AP) ?  A Maine woman was bitten by a bear in her backyard while defending her pet dog, necessitating a trip to the hospital for stitches, officials said Friday.  Lynn Kelly, 64, was tending her garden in Porter when her dog took off into the woods barking at something on Friday.  In short order, the dog was racing back to the yard with a black bear in hot pursuit, said Mark Latti, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The 64-year-old was doing some gardening when her dog came racing into the yard pursued by a large black bear (Picture: 7 NEWS Boston)

The bear then briefly latched onto Lynn’s wrist with its jaws, leaving her with a wound that required several stitches at a nearby hospital.

Lynn added: ‘It all just happened so quickly. To see a bear up that close was a little unnerving.’

Although Maine has one of the largest black bear populations of any state on the US East Coast, bear attacks of this kind are generally rare.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recommends people remove things that might attract a bear’s attention from outside their home, such as garbage and pet food, or even bird feeders.

Blackbears

Black bear attacks are generally rare, even in Maine, which has one of the largest populations of the creatures in the country (Picture: Getty Images)

Lynn’s encounter comes just two weeks after 90-year-old Altha Williams, of Sevierville, Tennessee, bravely fought off a black bear with a lawn chair.

Miraculously, given the bear’s three cubs were nearby, Altha managed to escape with only a scratch on her arm.

She told the local press: ‘I’ve been praising the Lord ever since then, because I may not be here.’

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