INDEX, Wash. — Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officials shot and killed a black bear and her cub in Index Tuesday, concluding a search that began after a bear attacked a local woman Sunday.
The woman suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries in the backyard assault and was hospitalized overnight, according to WDFW.
State regulations require bears involved in attacks on humans to be killed, according to the WDFW.
Wildlife officers located the two bears in a tree behind a commercial property, identified by residents as the Bush house, a hotel in Index, before killing them.
WDFW reports that the attack occurred Sunday morning while the woman was walking her dog in her backyard.
A black bear attacked her from behind, knocking her to the ground and continuing the assault by biting and scratching her, according to WDFW.
WDFW says she managed to reach her house and call emergency services before medics transported her to a nearby hospital for treatment.
WDFW vehicles were seen searching the area Monday before officers located the two bears Tuesday.
Some community members questioned whether the bears killed behind the hotel were definitively the animals responsible for the incident over the weekend.
Dusty Dionne, a local resident in Index who previously captured video footage of the two bears, expressed frustration with how authorities handled the situation.
Dionne noted that he has watched the bears mature while wandering through the neighborhood.
“Like many in the community, I feel discouraged,” Dionne said. “Approximately 80% of the residents are deeply troubled, while about 20% believe the bear received the outcome it deserved.”
Dionne also questioned whether the lethal removal was necessary, stating he believes officials intended to kill the bears from the start.
WDFW officials noted that once bears locate unnatural food sources, such as trash, they frequently return to those locations.
WDFW stated that attempts to relocate bears over long distances are usually ineffective once that behavior becomes ingrained.
A public meeting regarding local bear activity is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. at the Old Fire Hall in Index.
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