Md. Woman Mauled By Bear Causes Concern For Growing Bear Population

FREDERICK, Md. (WJZ) -- A shocking attack on a grandmother in Frederick County this week has raised concerns about the growing bear population in the area.

As bears fight among each other for territory, they are expanding into the suburban Maryland.

Karen Osborne is a grandmother of four who was mauled by a bear in Frederick. She is a former publisher and animal lover. Her son-in-law says in a new interview, she can still barely move and remains confined to a hospital bed.

RELATED: Md. Woman Makes Calls To 911 During Vicious Bear Attack

"Her face is hurt pretty bad. The back of her head, her back. Lots of lacerations -- that was pretty alarming,"  said Mark Snuffins, Osborne's son-in-law.

Osborne in her call to 911: Oh my God, he's circled around in front of me again. He's trying to kill me. Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me.

The family isn't surprised by how she spoke to a 911 dispatcher during the attack.

"That's Karen for you. I think she kept it together. If she didn't I don't think we would be this lucky," said Snuffins.

She's not the only one who's had a run-in with this same bear.

"I started taking pictures," said Dick Klug.

Klug tells WJZ about the encounter in his back yard.

"I got a little close when I was trying to take pictures and she did a mock charge toward me," said Klug.

"I backed off and she backed off," he said.

Bear sightings have been more common in suburban areas across Maryland, as the bear population is growing. The state expanded bear hunting into Washington county and Frederick counties for the first time to thin the population, but the attack on Karen Osborne is the first on a person in modern Maryland history.

"Once that happens, our protocol and best judgment is to remove the animal from the population," said Paul Paditto, with the Department of Natural Resources.

The only similar attack was two years ago in New Jersey, killing a hiker there. The attack raises concern as humans and bears are sharing more of the same spaces.

Earlier this year there was a lockdown of a Howard County school because of a bear sighting. But, normally bears don't like to interact with humans. Though that's what makes this attack so rare.

The bear cubs been released into the wild. Authorities say they are old enough to survive on their own.

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