MONROVIA, Calif. (KABC) — The city of Monrovia says a female bear that took a swipe at a woman while she was walking her dog over the weekend has been euthanized.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) says the bear was involved in another incident last June, where another Monrovia resident was swiped at and injured. At the time, CDFW officials tried to find the bear, but were unsuccessful. They did, however, obtain DNA from the injured resident.
On Saturday morning, Monrovia police said the bear approached a woman while she was out walking her dog on Oakglade Drive and clawed the back of her knee.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Woman escapes after bear swipes claw in Monrovia, leaving minor injuries
Hours after a woman was clawed by a bear in the Monrovia foothills, two bears were seen making themselves at home under a nearby house.
The woman and her dog were able to get away, and someone who lives nearby helped scare the bear away and called 911. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The female bear and two cubs were captured on Sunday. The cubs weren’t around at the time of the attack because they were in a den underneath a nearby home, officials said.
The bear DNA collected from Saturday’s incident matches the bear DNA from the June 2025 incident, according to CDFW.
“Local CDFW officials, as well as those working at state offices in Sacramento, determined the two incidents which caused human injury were sufficient justification to euthanize the bear, according to state policy,” Dylan Feik, the Monrovia city manager, wrote in a statement. “I am sorry to share the unfortunate news. The Monrovia City Council requested and lobbied for the bear and her cubs to be relocated into the Angeles National Forest but the decision was never the City’s to make. By the time we were able to speak with state officials involved in the decision-making, the decision to euthanize was already made.”
The city says the two cubs are healthy and will be relocated to a facility before eventually being reintroduced into the wild.
Hours after the woman was clawed at over the weekend, two bears were seen making themselves at home under a nearby house.
Video shows one of them scurrying away from the property, avoiding a trap placed by CDFW.
Julie Strople lives nearby and says she spotted a bear while walking her dog, Fred, just minutes before the woman was hurt.
“The bear was like literally two feet from where you’re standing, and I said, ‘Mama bear, go.’ She looked at me, and she walked away,” Strople said.
Officials say if you encounter a bear, stay calm and do not run. Instead, back away slowly and give the animal plenty of space.
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