A 60-year-old man was tragically killed in Arkansas by a black bear at a campsite, where signs of a struggle were discovered. Authorities uncovered drag marks leading from the camp into the woods, indicating a harrowing end for the victim on October 5.
The victim’s body was located near Sam’s Throne Campground in the Ozarks. Sheriff Glenn Wheeler of Newton County confirmed the cause of death as an “animal mauling,” with injuries consistent with those typically seen in large carnivore attacks, as reported by The New York Times.
A black bear was captured on camera in the campground area close to the attack site, matching descriptions provided by witnesses. Both the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office agreed that the bear in question was likely the same one involved in the incident.
Following the incident, the bear was transported to Little Rock for a necropsy and DNA testing to determine if it was responsible for the attack. Identified as a young male bear, it was believed to have been separated from its mother earlier that year.
The victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, was reported missing when his family raised concerns after receiving a photo of a bear from him and then losing contact.
In a separate incident in Franklin County, a man succumbed to injuries sustained in a black bear encounter. Vernon Patton, 72, was fatally attacked by a bear while working on a tractor by the roadside in a previous incident.
The American black bear, which is the predominant bear species in North America and the smallest in the U.S., is the only bear species native to Arkansas. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission estimates a population of over 5,000 black bears in the state, with bear hunting season commencing in Newton County in mid-September.
Known as the least aggressive bear species, black bears typically only attack humans when startled or in self-defense, according to the World Animal Foundation. Statistics show that on average, the 750,000 black bears in North America cause less than one human fatality per year.