Cub euthanized after scratching woman

Bear swimming in Great Sacandaga Lake was checked for rabies

A bear cub was euthanized this past week after a woman boating on Great Sacandaga Lake saw it swimming alone, scooped the animal out of the water and was scratched, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said Wednesday.

State environmental police officers were called to a South Shore Road home in Edinburg, Saratoga County, at about 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9, to investigate a report of a woman being scratched by a bear, the DEC said in a statement.

The officers determined that the woman and her husband were boating when they saw the cub swimming.

“Fearful that the bear could not swim to shore, the victim pulled the bear from the water onto her boat,” the DEC said. As she pulled the animal into the vessel, the woman suffered scratches on her hand and wrists.

The officers suggested she seek medical care.

“The bear was euthanized in order to be tested for rabies, and the results came back negative,” the DEC said on Wednesday.

Encon police were also called to Great Sacandaga Lake on Aug. 28 by someone who saw two bears swimming across the lake among boat traffic and was concerned for the animals’ safety. In that case, the officers arrived on a patrol boat, which they positioned in such a way to coax the mother and cub to swim to shore, the DEC said. Both bears safely ran into the woods.

“DEC reminds the public that wildlife should always remain wild, and when humans attempt to intervene in the natural world, problems can arise,” the agency said.