A Florida man was bitten in the stomach by a black bear cub last month while trying to break up a fight between the wild animal and his family's dog.
Blake Sprout said her dog chased the cub, which was near a mother bear and two other cubs, after she let it loose from her home in Volusia County around midnight on Dec. 20. FOX 35 Orlando Reported.
“He growled and lunged at me and clung to my stomach,” Sprout told the Bear Press.
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Last month, Blake Sprout was attacked by a black bear cub while trying to protect his dog. (Woffle)
The first person to be attacked was a Pomeranian dog named Karen.
“There were three bears and my dog spotted them and ran straight towards them,” he said.
A neighbor captured video of the attack, which shows Sprout running into her yard and intervening as the bear took Karen in its mouth.
“I ran over and kicked her in the chest, knocking her down,” Sprout explained.
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Blake Sprout shows off a bruise from a bear bite on her stomach. (Woffle)
Sprout said he intervened when Karen was being attacked because she is “part of the family.”
“I couldn't just sit there and watch her die. The children loved her,” he said. “I couldn't say, 'My dog is missing,' on Christmas.”
The bears were later captured and transported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Blake Sprout holds her dog Karen after being attacked by a young bear. (Woffle)
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“FWC bear management staff set traps on the property, successfully captured three cubs and an adult female bear, and relocated the family group,” the agency said in a statement.
In Florida, it is legal to shoot bears in self-defense or to protect certain property.
