Black bear attacks couple in North Carolina

Authorities in North Carolina are looking for a bear that attacked a couple on Wednesday after their dog upset the animal, the National Park Service said.

The couple fled in their car after the attack near the folk art center on Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville and went to a hospital where they were treated and released, the park department said on Friday. .

The couple were attacked as they retreated after their rampaging barking dog rushed towards the black bear, the park service said in a statement.

Officials said the attack was “bold and aggressive” and that the bear, if found, will be humanely killed.

Dogs must be kept on a leash on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the park department says on its website.

A spokeswoman for the park service told the Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper that the couple suffered lacerations and scratches and the dog was not injured.

The park service said the decision to euthanize the bear if found is based on its protocols and those of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Those agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday evening.

Trails nearby have been closed.

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs over 400 miles through parts of the Appalachians from North Carolina to Virginia.

The bears are busy trying to gain weight in the fall to prepare for winter hibernation, which means they are very active, officials said.

The Wildlife Commission said after a bear attack in 2018 that a bear’s behavior may show it poses a threat to public safety.

Normally, he says, if a bear acts defensively, it leaves as soon as possible.

In Wednesday’s attack, after the bear reacted defensively, “there were repeated attacks by the bear as the couple retreated with their dog to the safety of their vehicle,” said the park service.

If the bears learn aggressive behavior, they will continue to do so and teach it to their young, the wildlife commission said after the 2018 attack that injured a woman in Swannanoa.

Wildlife officials say black bear attacks on humans are rare and bears are generally shy.