Arkansas black bear suspected to have killed man
A black bear in Arkansas is thought to have attacked and killed a 60-year-old man from Missouri who had been camping in the Ozark National Forest in the southern state, local officials say. Fatal bear attacks are rare.
The man’s children contacted police in Newtown County after they hadn’t heard from him during his trip to the Sam’s Thorne campgrounds, for several days, a statement from Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said. The man’s body was found near the campsite with injuries similar to those from a “large carnivore attack” according to the Sheriff’s office. The name of the 60-year-old has not been released by officials.
Sheriff Wheeler said on Sunday that a bear thought to be the one behind the attack has been killed after being caught on camera in the campground earlier on the day. Local hunters were contacted and brought hounds to trail the bear, chasing it up a tree soon after.
The animal’s remains will go through an autopsy along with other tests hoping to find a DNA sample that matches the victim.
“To be 100% certain, we will have to wait on possible DNA matches, but all indications are that this is the bear responsible for the fatal attack,” Sheriff Wheeler said. “This is a relief to me and the community, and I thank God for this outcome. This was a dangerous bear.”
The Arkansas campground has been temporarily closed.
The victim had previously sent pictures of a bear in his campsite to members of his family before the attack, according to officials. This, they say, helped them identify the animal, a young male that matched the size and facial colorations.
Arkansas is home to only black bears, of which there are over 5,000. Attacks are rare in North America, especially fatal ones. Between 1900 and 2009, only 63 people were killed by a black bear in the continent, a study in the Journal of Wildlife Management found.
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