Pennsylvania woman is attacked in her backyard by aggressive mama bear trying to protect her cubs

A Pennsylvania woman suffered serious injuries to her face and arms after being mauled by a mama black bear behind her home.

Lee Ann Gelante, 55, spotted three large bear cubs in her Butler Township backyard as she let her dog outside when she was suddenly bowled over. 

The protective mother bear had approached her from behind and knocked her to the ground.

Gelante's head was clawed at so ferociously that she thought she was going to be scalped.

'I really thought that was gonna be it,' she tearfully told KDKA. 'I'm screaming "someone please help me".'

Lee Ann Gelante, 55, had just let her dog out when she was attacked by the mother bear

The mother black bear attacked Gelante from behind and clawed at her head so viciously that the victim thought she was going to be 'scalped'

The mother bear was killed after the attack and her cubs- all around a year in age- were tranquilized

Fortunately, a police officer was in close proximity, and reached the scene relatively quickly. 

The mother bear was killed and the cubs, who were between 60 and 80 pounds, were tranquilized. 

After the attack, which happened around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Gelante was rushed to Butler Memorial Hospital and then Allegheny General Hospital.

She received treatment for injuries to her arm, face, neck, and head.

A trauma surgeon at the Allegheny General Hospital said that there were a 'fair amount' of puncture wounds on the back of Gelante's neck and on her arm.

Doctors found 'pretty significant tears and lacerations' around her scalp while several bones in Gelante's nose and face were broken.

She received 100 stitches and is expected to make a full recovery.

The horrific attack happened in Gelante's backyard in Butler Township, PA

The Game Commission has since released the mother's cubs into the wild

Experts at the Game Commission suspect that the mother and her cubs might have been lured to the yard by the presence of numerous bird feeders, and that the mother acted so violently out of a desire to protect her babies.

According to one neighbor, who said it was 'nerve-wracking' to hear Gelante's screams, the bears had been in the neighborhood for a few weeks, and he was worried for his children's safety.

'I was on edge then; now that they're out of here, it makes me feel a little better.'

After being tranquilized, the bear cubs, who are all around a year in age, were released into the wild after their mother's rabies test came back negative.

Gelante's dog, Smokey, made it out of the attack without a scratch.

She credits her pet for her survival, saying that the dog was able to distract the frenzied bear and provided her with a window in which she could find cover.