The black bear that reportedly injured two young campers in New Jersey yesterday was apparently not so vicious—turns out that the boys' injuries weren't caused by the bear, after all.
Hospital officials concluded that the abrasions found on the campers were not consistent with a bear, and were not fresh from that day,” said Larry Herrighty, the assistant director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife. “Based on the findings of the hospital staff, it is concluded the bear did not make the wounds on the children.”
The bear did indeed wander into the camp and sniff around for food, poking his head into one tent and then moving on to a second. But it didn't come after the boys, who, according to Herrighty, "never said they were attacked." The injuries on the boys' foot and shoulder turned out to be scars from an old blister and scrape; the mixup was the result of confusion amongst the adult counselors during the bear brouhaha.
A DEP spokesman said that if wildlife officials do encounter the bear, who was shot once but ran off into the forest, they will shoot and kill it.
