A bear that injured two children in an attack last week in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, was caught and euthanized, according to officials.
The five-year-old and 1-year-old were playing in the driveway of their home in Wright Township on Monday when they were injured from the bear attack. The children were treated for bites and scratches at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and later released.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission set two bear traps in the area after the attack.
On Friday, the agency said it captured two bears — a male and a female — and that DNA testing was conducted to determine if either bear was responsible for the attack.
Bears attacks in Pennsylvania are extremely rare, but the bears that do attack are euthanized as a precaution against further attacks, according to the Game Commission. The agency said this does not necessarily mean bears involved in an attack are prone to attack, and that the attacks are often the result of a bear that is cornered and has no easy escape route.
Euthanasia is also the only way to test for rabies.
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