Black bears are prevalent throughout many forested regions of the US A woman from the US state of Montana has fought off a 200lb (91kg) black bear with a courgette from her garden.
The bear attacked one of the woman’s dogs on the back porch of her home late on Wednesday evening, Missoula County Sheriff’s Lt Rich Maricelli said.
When the woman tried to stop the attack, the bear bit into her leg.
The woman, whom police have not named, grabbed the closest object – a courgette from her garden – and threw it at the bear, causing it to flee.
Mr Maricelli told the Associated Press news agency that the woman, who lives about 15 miles (24km) from the town of Missoula, had not sought medical attention.
Authorities were still attempting to track down the bear on Thursday.
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