BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. -- A bear bit and scratched a woman last week while she was walking her dog.

  • 76-year-old Toni Rhegness had her dog on a leash when she saw three bear cubs in her neighbor's trash
  • The mother bear scratched and bit her as she ran into her house
  • Wildlife officers euthanized the mother bear and relocated the cubs

The Wildlife Commission says 76-year-old Toni Rhegness had her dog on a leash when she saw three bear cubs in her neighbor's trash.

Rhegness picked up her barking dog, and shouted to scare the cubs off but she didn't see the mother bear.

The bear bit and scratched Rhegness as she ran into her house.

She was treated at a hospital and released.

Wildlife officers euthanized the mother bear and relocated the cubs.