Black bears can sprint up to 56 kilometres an hour and climb 30 metres up a tree within 30 seconds
A bear that attacked a man in Pennsylvania last weekend tested positive for rabies, according to officials.
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Andrew Neirer, the man who was attacked, told PAHomepage he saw a bear sitting in the middle of a trail on his way to the store. He said he believed the bear was scared and looking for food.
“They’re hungry. They’re starving. They’re supposed to be in hibernation,” said Neirer to the news outlet. “This weather is weird lately. Hot, cold, warm, cold.”
The bear was fatally shot by a neighbour. Neirer received medical treatment and is expected to fully recover, the commission said on Facebook.
Neirer said he felt bad that the animal was killed, but was lucky to be saved.
The game commission tested the bear for rabies.
“While rabies in bears is rare and a case emerging in a given area usually is isolated, rabies poses a risk to all mammals. In this particular case, male bear typically den alone therefore reducing the risk of other bear being exposed to rabies,” the commission said.
This means that the interactions, and conflicts, between humans and bears are more frequent. The population is being “managed using regulated hunting,” the commission said.
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