A New Jersey woman was mauled by a black bear as she went to her mailbox on Wednesday afternoon, state officials said.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said the 34-year-old woman encountered three black bears while walking to check mail on Gorney Road in Lafayette around 4:30 p.m.
One of the bears, described as a young animal weighing 150 to 200 pounds, charged at her, DEP spokesman Larry Hajna told Patch.com.
The woman suffered non-life threatening injuries to her right arm and hip.
Hajna said the bear fled after a driver honked his car horn to frighten it away.
The victim of the bear attack was treated and released from hospital on Thursday afternoon.
After the beating, DEP set a trap for the bear, which, if caught, would be euthanized.
Wednesday’s incident marked the third bear encounter in Sussex County so far this year.
In January, less than three weeks apart, two pet dogs were killed by bears in Sparta.
Earlier this week, DEP officials finally removed a plastic cone chicken feeder from the neck of an 89-pound female bear after seven months.
US News.
