A western Maine woman has been hospitalized after she confronted a black bear chasing her dog. According to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the bear bit the woman on the wrist after she punched it in the nose.
Lynn Kelly of Porter was working in her garden at around 11:30 a.m. Friday morning when her dog took off barking into the woods, according to IFW spokesperson Mark Latti. She went to investigate and came face to face with the bear.
After she punched it, the bear ran back into the woods.
The woman is now stable and alert at a hospital in North Conway. The dog is unharmed.
Latti says game wardens had set two live catch traps for the bear Friday afternoon. It had been seen by neighbors in recent days, eating bird seed left out.
