Search Continues for Bear in Fatal Arkansas Campground Attack

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) is continuing its search for the bear responsible for the death of a 60-year-old camper earlier this month.

DNA from the victim, Max Thomas, and a bear previously euthanized by the AGFC were sent to a lab at the University of Florida.Results released on Thursday confirmed that the euthanized bear was not the one that attacked Thomas.

This attack marks the second bear attack in Arkansas this year. Prior to these incidents, the last fatal bear attack in the state occurred before the game and Fish Commission was established as an agency.

With the latest DNA results, the search for the bear involved in the attack continues.

“So, from here, we’re going to continue to keep our cameras at the campground.We’ve also got our traps set up there. We just rebated them again last week. Hopefully,we can get something,you know,on camera or in the traps. We haven’t. That’s the only bear that has come back to the campground, which is really odd, and that’s really the reason why we thought that was probably the bear,” said Keith Stephens, the Chief Communications Officer for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

The attack happened on October 2.