A cancer-stricken California lady has recounted her panic after being attacked by a bear she saw strolling about her kitchen early one morning.
According to Fox 11, Laurel-Rose Von Hoffman-Curzi, 66, of Orinda, was attacked by a bear at her vacation home in North Lake Tahoe last weekend and sustained a severe laceration to her face that required stitches, as well as additional puncture wounds, scrapes, and bruises.
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A Fierce Encounter
Von Hoffmann-Curzi stated that she came to the home to sequester herself while battling stage 4 lymphoma. After being awoken by loud noises emanating from the kitchen at around 6 a.m., she was alerted to the presence of someone within the residence on the morning of Saturday
When she went to investigate the sounds, she discovered a big bear skulking about the kitchen refrigerator. What transpired after that is a bit of a haze.
Von Hoffmann-Curzi told the news organization, "He must have came directly for me. I just remember a vision of the paw; it was dark, and then I was torn apart."
She said she was "bleeding, afraid, and crying" during the encounter, but she still managed to fight back by tossing a blanket at the bear and shouting at it.
After seeing her husband and children, the bear ultimately left her residence, although this first failed to discourage the animal.
Von Hoffman-Curzi was hospitalized for her injuries and considered herself fortunate to be alive after the incident. "The way the bear swiped at my face, I should be dead," she added.
While bears have been known to visit her property in the past, she claims they have never entered her home. Newsweek has approached Von Hoffman-Curzi for comment.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Captain Patrick Foy informed the news source that DNA samples were taken from Von Hoffman-injuries Curzi's to hunt down the bear and that a trap had also been set up on her property.
This is the third bear assault in the Lake Tahoe area so far this year. This bear, according to Foy, might be euthanized if apprehended.
He blamed the bear's entry on the existence of peculiar odors within Von Hoffman-house. Curzi's
He told Fox 11 that "anything with a strong stench is the number one item that attracts bears to people's premises."
Another Bear Encounter
That reasoning fits with a recent bear-related house invasion in California, which was reported earlier this week. John Holden posted a video of a little bear eating food off his kitchen counter, disturbing.
Holden returned home to find his house in shambles, with the bear scrubbing the remains of a bucket of KFC he had left on the work area. He had no question about what had prompted the break-in, supposing that the fragrance of fried chicken was too much for the bear to refuse.
Bears are attracted to "everything that smells," according to Bearwise, and it doesn't have to smell pleasant.
"Garbage, compost piles, filthy diapers, pizza boxes, empty beverage cans...it all smells like something wonderful to eat to a hungry black bear," they warn.
They believe it's critical to keep all food and rubbish "out of sight, scent, and reach" since bears can become frequent visitors if they form a connection between food and a certain location.
Also Read: Bears Breaking Into Homes: After Escaping From Wildfire, California Residents Face New Threat
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