NH Woman Fights Off Bear That Broke Into Home

GROTON, NH — An elderly New Hampshire woman in a wheelchair fought off a bear that broke into her home in the middle of the night Tuesday morning and attacked her. The woman, identified as 71-year-old Apryl Rogers, was seriously injured but expected to survive.

"She must have been terrified," New Hampshire Fish and Game Chief Kevin Jordan told Patch. "I can’t even imagine."

The incident happened in Groton, which is in Central New Hampshire just south of the White Mountains. Jordan said the bear pushed open the woman's front door at about 1 a.m. The animal was likely attracted by a bag of birdseed and cat food placed near the door, Jordan said.

The bear ransacked the kitchen, which woke up Rogers. She got in her wheelchair to investigate the noise and encountered the bear, which panicked and tried to flee but could not get out and lashed out at her in the face, Jordan said. The bear eventually made it out, though Jordan said officers are still investigating exactly how.

Rogers called 911 and first responders transported her to Speare Memorial Hospital and then Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center due to the severity of her injuries.

Jordan said there are reports from time to time of bears entering empty New Hampshire homes to look for food but Tuesday's incident was a first.

"I cannot recall something like this happening before," Jordan said.

Jordan said the woman suffered "significant" facial lacerations.

"She's alive," Rogers' daughter told WMUR.

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