This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Wildlife officials say a bear attacked a woman who was running a marathon in a national preserve in northern New Mexico.

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The woman suffered several bites and scratches and had injuries to her head, neck and upper body that were not life-threatening.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (DGF) said the woman was racing on Saturday afternoon when a female black bear confronted her in the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Officers said the victim surprised the bear after the bear’s cub ran up a nearby tree.

Other joggers helped the woman until emergency crews arrived. She was airlifted to an Albuquerque hospital.

The New Mexico DGF and the National Park Service warned people to stay away from the area.

Officials were trying to find the bear, to euthanize it and test it for rabies. Although rabies in bears is rare, the DGF said in a statement, “it is nearly 100% fatal in humans if not properly treated”.