A Woman Fended Off Black Bear by Punching Its Nose, Officials Say

• A Washington state woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries after a bear attack, according to state officials.
• State biologist, Rich Beausoleil, told KING-TV that the woman “popped” the bear “right in the nose.”
• Police located and killed the bear near the site of the attack, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A woman in Washington state fought off a Black bear that charged at her on Saturday morning by punching it in the nose, according to a state wildlife biologist.

According to the release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the bear attacked the woman when she was letting her dog outside at a residence near Enchantment Park and Blackbird Island in Leavenworth, Washington. The woman was transported to a hospital in Wenatchee, Washington with non-life-threatening injuries, per the statement.

“She didn’t see it coming, so she could not make herself big, clap her hands, yell at the bear, wave her arms,” Washington state wildlife biologist, Rich Beausoleil, told KING-TV. “Those are the things we usually tell people to do, but if the bear knocks you down, then yes, your solution is to fight.”

Beausoleil told the station that the woman “just turned around and popped” the bear “right in the nose,” which cause the bear to “take off running.”

Police found the bear near the location of the attack with the help of a bear dog and killed it, the statement says. Two cubs were also transported to a local wildlife rehabilitation facility. KING-TV reported that the WDFW said the bear was euthanized because it was overweight, causing it to look for food in garbage cans near people’s homes.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife said in the statement that bears generally avoid people, but if a bear approaches, it recommends standing up, waving your hands above your head, and talking in a low voice.

“Back away, avoiding direct eye contact. Don’t run from a bear,” the release says.

On Saturday, two college wrestlers were hospitalized after fighting off a grizzly bear that attacked them in Wyoming at Yellowstone National Park. 

The bear came crashing through a tree and one of the wrestlers only had time to yell “Bear! Bear!” before he was attacked. 

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department said that it is investigating the incident in a statement.