7-year-old boy attacked by bear in Westchester
NORTH CASTLE, N.Y. - A 7-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital after being attacked by a bear on Wednesday in Westchester County.
It was just after 11 a.m. when the boy went into his backyard to play on Hickory Kingdom Road in the town of Bedford.
North Castle police along with first responders rushed to the scene of the boy's home where they found him being treated by his parents after the attack.
Police believe it was an adolescent black bear.
Sightings of black bears in certain parts of Westchester County are somewhat common, but what is not common is when a bear attacks and doesn't retreat.
The bear was still lurking in the background as the boy's parents and paramedics worked to treat the 7-year-old.
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"Our concern was he did not retreat. At one point he did advance. When you have that many human beings, an animal of that kind would normally retreat, and it did not," North Castle police chief Peter Simonsen said.
Then, the North Castle police shot and killed the bear. It took four men to carry the bear away.
The NYS Department of Environmental conservation will now bring him to the state department where he will be tested for rabies.
The boy's home is in a wooded area where wildlife sightings are common, but attacks like this are not which is concerning people nearby.
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"I have pets. I have young grandchildren and myself. If I walked outside and saw a bear, I don’t know what I would do. Probably scream," a woman said.
Simonsen wants parents to watch their children and their pets, but is also praising the parents of the little boy.
Not for a moment did the parents hesitate to save their child while that bear watched and waited.
The 7-year-old boy is currently being treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.