Pa. woman killed by pet bear caged near her home
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities in northeastern Pennsylvania say a woman was killed by her pet black bear as she cleaned its cage.
State police say 37-year-old Kelly Ann Walz was mauled to death Sunday evening by the 350-pound bear.
A state Game Commission spokesman says Walz kept the bear inside a steel and concrete cage near her house about 20 miles northeast of Allentown.
Officials say Walz threw a shovelful of dog food to one side of the cage to distract the bear while she cleaned the other side. At some point the bear turned on her and attacked.
The bear was shot and killed. No information was available about who shot the bear.
Game officials say Walz also owned a Bengal tiger and an African lion. They say she had licenses to own the animals.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
