FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ark. — A black bear that attacked and severely injured a man in Franklin County on Sept. 3 has tested negative for rabies and distemper, according to state officials.

Keith Stephens with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) said the necropsy is still not complete, and he's hoping those results will them more about why the attack happened.

"It's just so unusual to to have them attack human being," he said on Sept. 8. "They're afraid of us as much as anything. It just doesn't happen. It's so rare, and that's why we think there may be something that maybe we could find out when we continue with the necropsy."

The man, who is in his 70s, was reportedly working on a tractor on the side of the road when he was attacked by the bear last Wednesday. The incident occu

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