Ledger DC Journal - News, Politics & Crime

Kelly Ann Walz was attacked when she entered the bear's cage to feed the 350-pound animal and clean its cage. "Walz kept the black bear she called "Teddy" as a pet, raising it from cubhood at her hilltop menagerie where she also cared for a mountain lion and tiger," reports ABC News.

CNN adds that the bear was finally shot, but it was too late to save the woman that was attacked. Walz, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene. "She loved the animals and took care of them," Castone said Monday as he prepared to tell his own children that Walz had died.


CNN has the video here. The report notes that "the bear wasn't the only unusual animal living on the property, an official with the State Game Commission told CNN affiliate WFMZ-TV. The homeowner had a permit to keep a Bengal tiger and an African lion, and the property routinely passed inspection and had no violations."