A 60-year-old man from Missouri was fatally attacked by a black bear at a campsite in Arkansas. Authorities discovered signs of a struggle, including drag marks leading from the camp into the woods, indicating a violent end for the victim on October 5.
The victim’s body was located near Sam’s Throne Campground in the Ozarks. Sheriff Glenn Wheeler of Newton County confirmed that the cause of death was determined to be an “animal mauling” by The New York Times. The sheriff noted that the victim’s injuries were consistent with a large carnivore attack.
A black bear, captured on camera in the campground near the attack site, matched descriptions given by witnesses. Sheriff Wheeler stated there was a high likelihood that this bear was responsible for the incident.
Both the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office agreed that the bear in question appeared to be the same one involved in the fatal attack.
The bear was transported to Little Rock for a necropsy and further testing to determine if DNA evidence links it to the victim. Sheriff Wheeler described the bear as a young male, likely separated from its mother earlier in the year.
The victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, was initially reported missing by his family after he sent them a photo of a bear from the camp on Tuesday morning and then ceased communication.
In a separate incident in Franklin County, a man named Vernon Patton, 72, passed away from injuries sustained in a black bear encounter. The attack occurred while Patton was working on a tractor by the roadside.
The American black bear, the smallest bear species in the U.S. and commonly found in North America, is the sole bear species in Arkansas according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
State estimates indicate a bear population exceeding 5,000, with bear hunting season commencing in Newton County on September 17.
The black bear is known to be the least aggressive bear species, typically only attacking humans when startled or defending itself, as stated by the World Animal Foundation. Statistics show that on average, fewer than one person per year is killed by the 750,000 black bears in North America.
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