Two Injured in Bear Attack Outside Idaho Home

A bear attack left two people injured outside their home in a small Idaho town on Friday morning, authorities reported.

The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. in the Sunset Heights subdivision near Salmon, Idaho, a town with a population of just over 3,000. One of the injured individuals was transported by helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, according to Idaho Fish and Game.

Idaho Fish and Game was alerted by the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office and deployed its Wildlife Human Attack Response Team to the scene. Authorities subsequently located the bear involved in the attack, its sibling, and a third bear believed to be their mother. A professional houndsman was used to track the animals, and all three were euthanized.

The sheriff's office issued a statement advising residents on preventative measures. "To prevent bears from coming into your house, you must remove outdoor food smells, secure all potential entry points, and use deterrents around your property," the statement read. The department further recommended securing garbage, locking trash cans, cleaning outdoor grills, removing bird feeders and outdoor pet food, managing fruit trees, blocking entry points to homes, keeping windows and doors closed, and using deterrent mats.

The victims were reportedly on their porch when the attack occurred.

In a separate incident in July, a jogger in Fremont County, southeast of Lemhi County, was attacked by a bear while with his dog. The jogger was able to leave the area on his own, and his dog was unharmed. The bear involved in that incident was not located.