U.S. woman killed by black bear while on vacation in Canada

Authorities say a Minnesota woman has been killed by a black bear on an island in Canadian waters.

Ontario Provincial Police say 62-year-old Catherine Sweatt-Mueller, of Maple Plain, was staying with her parents in a remote cabin on Red Pine Island in Rainy Lake when she was killed.

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The Star Tribune reports that police Constable Jim Davis says Sweatt-Mueller went outside Sunday evening when she heard her two dogs barking, but that she never returned.

Davis says her parents called police. Officers found a bear standing over Sweatt-Mueller’s body and shot the animal.

Minnesota wildlife biologist Andy Tri says a predatory attack by a black bear is “beyond extremely rare.”

Red Pine Island is about 16 kilometres northeast of International Falls, Minnesota.