Bear that attacked Franklin County man was malnourished, had ‘abnormalities’

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has released the necropsy results for the bear involved in a fatal attack in Franklin County in September.

The report found the black bear responsible for 72-year-old Vernon Patton’s death

AGFC said the exact cause of the attack cannot be definitively determined but the investigation revealed that the bear was found to be malnourished, which is considered to be “highly unusual” for this time of year when food sources are typically abundant. The bear’s stomach was full of natural foods, the necropsy revealed.

Microscopic abnormalities were found in the bear’s spinal cord and brain by diagnostic laboratories. This suggests the bear was suffering from underlying neurological issues, AGFC said.

“The combined evidence of malnutrition and neurological abnormalities suggests the bear was not functioning normally,” AGFC said. “However, the exact cause of these issues cannot be definitively determined.”

AGFC said it collaborated with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which conducted the primary pathological and diagnostic evaluations with support from the Arkansas Department of Health, the University of Georgia Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, and the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for additional diagnostic assessments.

The bear previously tested negative for distemper and rabies, AGFC told KNWA/FOX24 last month.