The Northeast Regional Headquarters of the Pennsylvania Game Commission shared an update Thursday alerting the public to a rabid black bear that nearly killed a community member.
The incident occurred in Jim Thorpe, a town in Carbon County, on Sunday. A male bear "aggressively approached a man," then bit and scratched, which the game commission clarified was "abnormal" behavior for black bears.
A nearby homeowner saw the attack. He then shot and struck the bear, killing it. It was later discovered the bear test positive for rabies, according to a Facebook post.
Fortunately, the man is expected to make a full recovery.
"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 game commission warned.
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