The bear that attacked a man in Jim Thorpe Sunday has tested positive for rabies, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The test results, commission spokesman Travis Lau said, explains the bear’s abnormal behavior.

“Black bears under normal circumstances are not aggressive toward people,” Lau noted.

Just before noon, the bear tackled, scratched and bit Jim Thorpe resident Andrew Neirer.

Neirer was walking on a path that leads from Silk Street in the borough to the Jim Thorpe Market when he spotted the bear. As Neirer warned nearby neighbor, Mike Bramich, the bear came out of the woods and began to approach Bramich. It then turned its attention to Neirer. As it tackled and attacked Neirer, Bramich pulled a gun and shot it. Neirer was taken for medical attention.

Lau said game commission officials said the bear was a small adult male.

Before the attack, the bear was spotted running around the parking lot of the Jim Thorpe Market. Most don’t expect to see a bear during the cold of winter, however, they can and do leave their dens, Lau said.

“Bear sightings during the hibernation period aren’t unheard of. Bears that are on their own sometimes do get up and move around, even if briefly,” Lau noted.

So while rabies can’t be linked to the bear’s January emergence, it is linked to its aggressive behavior.

“While rabies in bears is rare, and a case emerging in a given area usually is isolated, rabies poses a risk to all mammals,” Lau said. “Anyone who observes wildlife acting abnormally should report it to the Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-WILD.”

Before the Jim Thorpe rabies confirmation, no cases of rabies in Pennsylvania black bears had been reported in years.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services recorded 15 cases of rabies — including the bear — across the commonwealth so far this year. The most recent cases were found in nine raccoons, four cats, one bear and one skunk, according to the bureau’s Rabies Tracking dashboard.

In the Times News coverage area, Carbon, Schuylkill and Lehigh counties each reported one rabid raccoon in 2025.

In 2024, there were 305 cases across the state. Carbon County reported one raccoon; Schuylkill County had a cat and a raccoon; Northumberland had a skunk; Monroe County had four raccoons, two cats and a bat; and Lehigh County had a bat, cat and raccoon. There were no reports of rabies in bears in years.

As the bureau’s data shows, the animals most likely to test positive for rabies in the Keystone State are raccoons, followed by bats, cats, skunks and foxes.

The disease is caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system.

The Penn State Extension notes that signs that an animal is “sick” include loss of coordination or appearing disoriented; increased aggressiveness or increased passivity; drooling or foaming at the mouth, and activity at unusual times, such as nocturnal animals wandering around during the day.

The virus is transmitted by the saliva of infected animals by bites and scratches, and can enter through wounds or mucous membranes like the eyes and mouth.

Rabies is always fatal — unless the victim has been protected by immunization or receives proper treatment.

Those who are bitten by a wild animal should clean the wound and seek medical attention. Under Pennsylvania law, all health care providers must contact the Department of Health about animal bites to determine what course of action is needed.