A 71-year-old woman, Apryl Rogers who uses a wheelchair from New Hampshire, was Tuesday morning attacked by a bear in her home.
Rogers, who lives in Groton, Massachusetts, USA, was asleep in her home when she heard strange sounds coming from her kitchen around 1:15 a.m. On getting to the kitchen, she encountered the bear, who was rummaging through her kitchen, and it attacked her and injured her face as it was trying to get out of the house.
Reports say it’s likely the bear was able to enter the home by pushing open the side door, which wasn’t properly latched.
The victim’s daughter, Murray, who showed up at her mother’s house after the incident, was shocked when she saw the scene. “There’s trash everywhere. There’s bear feces everywhere. There’s blood everywhere,” she told NECN.
She also noticed claw marks on the door, household items strewn across the floor and a blood trail in some places. “She was yelling at the bear to get out,” Murray told CBS Boston. “[It was] really very scary.”
Somehow, though, Rogers, was able to call 911 by dragging herself to the phone. It’s “a miracle in itself,” said Murray. Rogers has since been hospitalized for serious injuries to her neck and head, including several fractures. She also had a 6-hour surgery.
“There’s a possibility she gonna lose an eye. We all know she is strong, she’ll be okay” an emotional Murray told reporters.
Residents who spoke to newsmen said, “Even though Groton is a town of only 600 people, it’s unusual for bears to break into people’s homes. This one was looking for food and was unusually bold, and sadly, Rogers “ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
According to NECN, efforts are underway to try to locate the bear, who escaped through the house.