WDFW euthanizes bear and cub after backyard attack injures woman in Snohomish County

A black bear and her cub were euthanized after the adult bear was suspected in a severe attack that sent one woman to the hospital in Snohomish County.

The bear reportedly attacked the woman from behind and knocked her to the ground while she was walking her dog in her backyard. Two days later, both bears were euthanized and will undergo disease testing, according to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW). 

The initial incident

The incident occurred on Sunday, Oct. 25, in Index. The bear bit and clawed the woman before she got away and called for help. She stayed overnight in the hospital for serious, non-life-threatening injuries she sustained during the attack.

A sighting of the suspected bears digging in garbage cans was reported to WDFW Police on Oct. 27.

Shortly after, authorities located the bears in a tree directly behind a business in Index. The bears were then lethally removed, reportedly.

WDFW explains

“Decisions to lethally remove wildlife are never easy and are typically made through close coordination between WDFW biologists, Wildlife Conflict Specialists, law enforcement officers, and other experts,” WDFW officials noted in a news release. “Unfortunately, once bears know about a non-natural food source or are fed by humans, they may keep coming back to that place.”

“These bears can lose their fear of people, creating a threat of injury to humans,” officials continued. “This can lead to wildlife managers needing to lethally remove black bears that are habituated to non-natural food sources or involved in conflicts with people. State policy dictates that WDFW lethally remove bears that are involved in attacks.”

WDFW described relocating younger bears as sometimes possible, but relocation is often ineffective once bears become accustomed to human-provided food sources.

Even long-distance moves generally fail because bears tend to keep seeking human-associated food. The statement included a blog post linked here from WDFW about why some bear relocations are not successful.

KIRO News has reached out to WDFW for further comment and is waiting to hear back.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

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