GRAND JUNCTION, CO (KKCO/CNN) – A 5-year-old girl is recovering after she was attacked by a black bear in the yard of her Colorado home.
The girl’s father identified her as Kimberly Cyr, saying she will be “fine” following the attack early Sunday morning in Grand Junction, CO.
Officers say the girl’s mother heard her daughter screaming in the yard and, when she went to investigate, witnessed a large black bear dragging the 5-year-old.
The mother says she scared the bear away by screaming at it.
Kimberly was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, but later Sunday morning, her condition was upgraded to “fair.”
"Fortunately, she had no life-threatening injuries, no injuries to her brain, chest organs or abdominal organs and no fractures. These were injuries to the skin and subcutaneous tissues and muscle on her backside,” said Dr. Charles Breaux Jr., Kimberly’s pediatric surgeon.
The girl received more than six dozen stitches, but Breaux says she’s in good spirits.
"She's been the calmest person in the room all day long. She is in very good spirits, and her family is in good spirits, too. They are thankful that she wasn't injured worse than she was,” Breaux said.
Kimberly’s recovery could take several weeks. Her mother believes she had gone to investigate noises in the yard she may have thought was her dog.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are searching for the bear. If they find it, the animal will be put down.
We are investigating a bear attack that occurred early Sunday morning in Grand Junction.
We will provide updates as they become available. https://t.co/5OXH5vpH9d
— CO Parks & Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) May 13, 2018
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