A California couple attacked by a bear outside their eastern Sierra Nevada home have survived the encounter after fighting off the animal with a water bottle and a hatchet, authorities said.
On Monday morning, a woman in Mammoth Lakes heard one of her dogs barking and went outside to investigate, discovering it was in an altercation with a 70-pound black bear, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
While she was making her way outside, her other dog also ran out and got involved, according to a Mammoth Lakes Police Department announcement.
“She attempted to break up the fight between the two and was yelling, and the bear turned on her and ended up attacking her,” said Kory Collins, assistant chief with the CDFW law enforcement division.
Her husband, noticing the commotion, also went outside to investigate. Officials say he saw what was happening and jumped into action.
Mammoth Lakes Police said the bear then turned on him. His wife used the opportunity to retreive a water bottle and got the bear off of him. The man then ran inside to grab a weapon.
“He fought the bear off with a hatchet, and ultimately they both got away,” Collins said.
The couple went to the hospital with serious injuries, like bites and claw markings, officials said.
Collins told The Times that wildlife interactions with humans, while rare, can still happen.
“There are incidents every year where a bear comes into contact with a human, so it’s not uncommon,” Collins said.
The bear was approximately 17 months old, and in the 70-pound range, Collins said, explaining the severity of the situation.
“A bear that is 70 pounds can cause significant damage,” Collins said. “Wild animals are very strong, very resilient and this could have been a lot worse.”
The bear was deemed a “public safety concern” and was euthanized, but the man, woman and their dogs are all expected to make a full recovery, police said.
Collins explained that Mammoth Mountain is a community surrounded by forests, inhabited by a healthy population of bears, and encouraged residents to be hyperaware, especially if they have pets.
“Being vigilant, knowing that you live in an area with wildlife, [keeping your dog on a leash] is definitely a good idea,” Collins said. “That’s not something you could expect of everyone, but, especially during nighttime hours, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on your animals.”
There are an estimated 60,000 black bears in California. In April, the CDFW increased the number of bears that can be harvested to two, in an attempt to regulate the rise in population.
The first fatal black bear attack in the state occurred in 2023, when a 71-year-old woman was killed in her mountain home.