Press Release posted 6/11/19 – On June 10, 2019 at approximately 1:44 pm Sierra Madre Police Officers were dispatched to the 500 block of Hermosa Avenue. A woman called to report her neighbor had been bitten by a bear in the rear yard of his home.
Upon arrival, officers found an adult male in his fifties suffering from scratches on his left and right calves as well as a bite to the back of his right knee. Injuries were consistent with those from an adult bear. The bear is known to wander with its cub in the foothills near and above Sierra Madre. Through police investigations it was determined that the man’s small dog ran after the cub. In an attempt to protect its cub the adult female bear attacked the dog. The homeowner kicked the bear and was subsequently scratched and bitten by the bear. The adult bear and its cub retreated.
The adult male was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries and his dog was taken for veterinary care, also with non-life threatening injuries. Both are expected to fully recover.
The matter has been referred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and they will manage the case going forward.