Vermont officials investigating bear attack in Stratton

STRATTON, Vt. (WTEN) — The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is actively investigating a bear attack that happened in Stratton Wednesday evening. The department said the person involved in the attack was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released from Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington.

The name of the person injured has not been released. Game wardens and biologists are investigating this incident and said they will release more information when it becomes available.

This is the second bear attack reported in Vermont this year. In August, a woman was bitten and scratched by a black bear while walking her two dogs on trails near her Strafford property. Fish and Wildlife game wardens and bear biologist, Jaclyn Comeau, were unable to find the bear involved in the August incident.

“Bear attacks are extremely rare in Vermont,” Comeau told the Associated Press in August. The department has records of just three earlier attacks, she said.

However, reports of bear encounters in the state have been on the rise this year. As of July, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said they have received more than 700 reports of bear conflicts, including home break-ins, in 2022. “If confronted by a bear it is essential to remain calm and back away slowly, and to fight back immediately if attacked," concluded Comeau.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.