A California couple was seriously injured this week after a black bear attacked them outside their home in Mammoth Lakes, authorities said.
The incident happened around 6 a.m. Monday in the Sierra Nevada town, about 230 miles southeast of Sacramento, according to the Mammoth Lakes Police Department. Officials said the woman opened her front door and found one of the couple’s dogs in a fight with a 70-pound black bear.
When she stepped outside to break up the confrontation, the bear turned on her, clawing and biting her, police said. Her husband then rushed out to help but was also met with aggressive behavior from the animal.
In the struggle, the woman struck the bear with a water bottle, while the man used the blunt end of a hatchet to hit it several times. Authorities said the bear was critically injured during the encounter.
Despite suffering what police described as “significant” injuries, the couple was able to transport themselves to a hospital for treatment.
