Bear attacks man who kicked it to save his dog near Los Angeles, officials say

A small dog went after a bear cub Monday afternoon in Sierra Madre, California, setting off a chain of events that sent a man to the hospital, KCBS reports.

A mother bear protecting her cub attacked the dog in a backyard, and the dog’s owner, described as a man in his 50s, kicked the bear to try to drive it away, KTLA reported. Then the bear slashed the man’s calf and bit the back of his knee.

“I completely understand how each wanted to be protective,” neighbor Cynthia Torres told the station.

State wildlife officers tranquilized the bear and cub, which will be relocated, KNBC reported. The bears climbed a nearby tree after the fracas.

The dog and its owner suffered minor injuries in the 2 p.m. incident and are expected to recover, according to the station.

Sierra Madre, which has a population of 11,000, is located in Los Angeles County in the San Gabriel Valley near Pasadena and the Angeles National Forest.

In April, a bear attacked an 84-year-old homeless man camping in the community, McClatchy previously reported. The man woke to find the bear rummaging through his camp and reached out a hand so it could sniff him, officials say, but instead it attacked, seriously injuring him.

This story was originally published June 11, 2019 at 9:29 AM with the headline "Bear attacks man who kicked it to save his dog near Los Angeles, officials say."