The adult bear suspected of attacking a woman in rural Snohomish County on Oct. 25 and its cub were euthanized Tuesday after Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officials received reports of the animals digging through garbage cans, the agency said.
WDFW police received a report Tuesday of an adult and juvenile bear in a tree directly behind a business in Index. About 20 minutes earlier, someone reported bears digging through garbage cans at a nearby residence.
Officers and wildlife conflict specialists responded and found the bears, along with trash directly beneath the tree. Both bears were euthanized, according to WDFW.
On Oct. 25, a woman was walking her leashed dog in her backyard when a black bear attacked her from behind, WDFW said. The woman was hospitalized with serious injuries.
WDFW officials were unable to locate the adult bear and cub after the attack but found them following the reports Tuesday, the agency said.
The agency said decisions to lethally remove wildlife are difficult and typically involve coordination among biologists, wildlife conflict specialists, law enforcement officers and other experts.
Black bears that become accustomed to human-provided food sources may repeatedly return to the same locations and lose their fear of people, potentially increasing the risk of injury, according to WDFW. State policy requires the agency to lethally remove bears involved in attacks.
WDFW recommends securing potential food sources to reduce the risk of conflicts and help keep bears wild. More information is available on WDFW’s black bear resources page and through BearWise.