Butler County woman suffers non-life-threatening injuries in bear attack
Female black bear was with 3 cubs when she became aggressive as woman tried to retrieve dog

JOHN HAYES
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
jhayes@post-gazette.com
MAR 6, 2024 2:02 PM

A Butler County woman was hospitalized Tuesday following a bear attack outside her Butler Township home. ... Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV reported she was conscious and alert when emergency services took her to Butler Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. ... Lee Ann Galante, 55, and her dog were doing well, the family said, and she was expected to leave the hospital in good condition.

The confrontation occurred on the 100 block of Bellefield Drive shortly before 8:30 p.m. when she left her home to check on her barking dog. ... There, police said, Ms. Galante attempted to separate her dog and a female black bear with three cubs. A brief altercation occurred and she suffered injuries to her head and both arms. She freed herself and returned to the house. The dog was unharmed, KDKA reported.

Responding police found the adult and cubs in a tree. When the mother became aggressive, she was euthanized by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The cubs were tranquilized and removed, and they were relocated to an undisclosed location. ... Township police and the Game Commission were investigating.

"This is a first for me and first for the area," said Sgt. Thomas Vensel of the Butler Township Police. "Talked to some people [who said] they'd been seeing [bears] in the area. Obviously, there was a bird feeder up here that was knocked down. We had warm weather lately, so I'm assuming these animals are out and about."

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John Hayes: jhayes@post-gazette.com.

First Published March 6, 2024, 7:31am