Black bear swats woman, seriously injuring her near Minnesota cabin, officials say

A Minnesota woman is seriously injured after being attacked by a black bear outside a cabin, state wildlife officials said.

The incident happened early in the morning on Friday, May 26, near the town of Nisswa, the state Department of Natural Resources said in a news release.

The woman was staying at a cabin and let her dog outside shortly after midnight, the release said.

She went outside to check on the dog and encountered the bear, which swatted her, “striking her in several places,” the release said.

“Minnesota DNR wildlife staff believe the bear likely was startled by the quick appearance of the dog in the middle of the night and then swatted the woman as a way to defend itself,” the department said, adding that there had been no recent complaints about bear activity in the area prior to the attack.

Officials said the woman’s injuries were “serious but not life-threatening.”

Bear attacks are rare, and this latest incident marks Minnesota’s 10th attack resulting in serious injury since 1987, the department said.

The bear left the area after the attack, officials said.

The department did not say if it is searching for the bear, but McClatchy News has reached out for more information.

Nisswa is roughly 140 miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis.

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