From Staff Reports

SWANNANOA – A mother bear was killed by state workers after it attacked and injured a 75-year-old woman as the victim was walking her dog near her home in northeast Swannanoa at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 18.

The state Wildlife Resources Commission reported in late September that Toni Rhegness suffered serious-but-nonlife-threatening injuries in the attack. Following treatment at a local hospital, she was released.

The adult bear and the three cubs were trapped over the Sept. 21-23 weekend, the WRC noted.

The mother bear’s three cubs were healthy and old enough to be independent, so they were relocated to a remote area, the WRC stated. 

The mother bear was euthanized to protect human safety and to keep her cubs from one day doing something similar, the WRC noted.

The presence of trash in the neighborhood and the dog’s hostility toward the bear played a role in leading to the attack, Colleen Olfenbuttel, the WRC’s black bear and furbearer biologist, said.