MT. GILEAD, Ohio -- Several Central Ohio property owners have permits to house exotic animals, but a giant black bear got loose earlier this week.
NBC 4's Mike Bowersock got answers on what happened after this caged animal headed out into the wild.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said a man who owned a bear in Morrow County has the proper permits and was inspected within the last year.
On Sunday night, the 400- to 500-pound bear was shot by a sheriff's deputy when it wandered out of the woods after attacking its owner.
"In this county, we've obviously got bears. This is the second incident with a bear in two months. In the past we've had lions, tigers -- the whole gamut," Sheriff Steve Brenneman said.
The bear got out of its enclosure and was looking into a neighbor's home.
The owner was contacted. He arrived and tried to entice the bear by throwing marshmallows at it, instead the bear attacked him, and he shot it.
The bear ran into the woods and came out about an hour later.
By then, a deputy arrived and shot the bear with a shotgun.
The owner has two more bears and, according to ODNR, has the proper permits to keep them.
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