LAKE MARY, Fla. – Wildlife officials said on Friday a mother bear was euthanized and another cub died while being captured on Friday as trappers searched for the bear that attacked a 68-year-old Lake Mary woman.
Officials said the woman was bitten on her upper arm in the attack, which happened around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 800 block of Sherbourne Circle, east of Interstate 4 in Heathrow.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say it is confident the full-grown female bear they euthanized is the bear that attacked the woman.
"The bear is consistent with the tracks that we found at the scene," said Greg Workman with FWC. "We also measured the teeth as well as the puncture wounds and they're consistent."
FWC said a second cub was trapped. A third cub was safely caught and will be released in the Ocala National Forest, Local 6 has learned.
"It's also consistent from residents who have seen three cubs without their mom around the same time as the bite," Workman said.
FWC said it's not clear how one of the cubs died while being trapped and that a necropsy will be done to determine the cause of death.
If a third cub is captured, FWC says the two cubs will be moved to the forest together, but that relocating the mother bear was not an option.
"Taking a bear that has the potential to have become habituated and coming up to people and not scared of people and releasing it is just someone else's problem," Workman said.
FWC captured the last cub and removed the traps from the Heathrow neighborhood. The two cubs will now be relocated to Ocala National Forest.
Local 6 spoke with a couple of folks who have strong feelings about the mother bear being euthanized.
"They should capture the bears and relocate them. I don't believe they should euthanize these bears because it is their territory," said resident Chuck Ellis.
"I was hoping none of the bears got injured in the whole thing but it's good. I know the neighbors probably feel a lot safer," said another resident.
Officials said the woman was attacked Wednesday when her dog pulled on its leash in an attempt to chase the bear and the woman fell to the ground. The bear bit the woman and fled, FWC said.
Family members took the woman to Central Florida Regional Medical Center, where she remained Thursday. The dog was uninjured.
Earlier this year, another woman was mauled by a bear in Lake Mary. She needed 30 staples in her head because of the attack.
The FWC advised residents to be aware of their surroundings and always supervise pets and children while outdoors. Residents should contact the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC to report any threatening bear activity.