Black Bear Killed After Swiping Girl’s Arm In Kittitas Co. Town

WDFW Police report that state and local officers lethally removed a male black bear after it “struck” a 17-year-old girl in the arm in the Central Washington town of Roslyn Tuesday evening.

The girl’s injuries are described as “superficial scratches” and her clothing was torn.

“We are very thankful her injuries did not require immediate medical care,” said WDFW Police Captain Bob Weaver.

Game wardens, along with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office and Cle Elum and Rosyln police, were able to quickly track down and lethally remove the bear near the scene, WDFW states.

Forensic evidence was also collected and the bear’s carcass was to be shipped to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at WSU for evaluation.

Roslyn hosted the TV show Northern Exposure.

In October 2022, a woman was charged by a bear at her residence near a park in Leavenworth after letting her dog outside and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The sow was lethally removed and its cubs were taken to PAWS. That incident marked the 19th human-bear encounter resulting in injuries to the person since 1970.

WDFW offers tips for preventing and dealing with bear encounters here.