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US woman dies after apparent bear attack

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A black bear is believed to have killed a woman in the US
Camera IconA black bear is believed to have killed a woman in the US Credit: AP

A 39-year-old woman has been found dead in the US after an apparent bear attack, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say.

A female bear and two yearling cubs that were found nearby in south west Colorado have been euthanised.

The woman, from Durango, was believed to have gone walking with her dogs on Friday, according to her boyfriend. He returned home that night to find the dogs outside and the woman missing.

He found her an hour later and called 911, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a statement.

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CPW officers observed signs of consumption on the body along with bear scat and hair at the scene.

A dog team from the US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services found a 10-year-old female black bear with two yearling cubs nearby. The bears were euthanised and were being taken for a necropsy. DNA evidence from the bears and the scene will be tested.

“Bear attacks are extremely rare,” Cory Chick, CPW Southwest Region manager, said in a statement.

“This is a tragic event and a sad reminder that bears are wild and potentially dangerous. Out of an abundance of caution, the bears were removed for public safety.”

The most recent fatal bear attack in Colorado was in August 2009 near Ouray, also in the southwestern part of the state.

A 74-year-old woman was killed by a 179-kilogram male black bear. An investigation determined she had been illegally feeding bears through the fence in her yard, the agency said.

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