Bear Bedfellow - Ponderosa Campground 5-31-12
Posted: May 31 2012 4:55 pm
Arizona campground closed after bear attacks woman
Arizona campground closed after bear attacks woman
by Jim Cross/KTAR (May 31st, 2012 @ 2:34pm)
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An Arizona campground will be closed until the end of August due to a bear attacking a 74-year-old Apache Junction woman.
The attack happened about 4:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Ponderosa Campground, about 10 miles east of Payson. The bear clawed its way through a tent and came in contact with the woman.
Jim Paxon with Arizona Game and Fish said the campground has been closed while the search is on for the bear.
"This bear poses a threat to public safety so we will lethally remove this bear," he said.
The victim was treated at Payson Regional Medical Center for non-threatening injuries and released. The woman's husband and dog were not hurt. Paxon said the victim didn't do anything to cause the attack.
"They did everything right," he said. "They didn't have any food in the tent."
With Arizona now in its 20th year of drought, the bears are desperately searching for food and water.
Tonto National Forest officials said an area closure order is effective beginning at 2:30 p.m. Thursday until August 31, or until the bear is found.
A Gilbert woman died last year several weeks after she was attacked by a bear in Pinetop
