A lady was rushed to the hospital in New Jersey this week after being mauled by a bear while going outside to check the mail.

The 34-year-old lady was attacked while walking to the mailbox along Gorney Road near a Christmas tree farm in Lafayette Township on Wednesday.

She had apparently observed three black bears nearby when one of them charged and mauled her, injuring her right arm and side of her body.

Thankfully, a witness to the incident used a vehicle horn to frighten the bears away, likely rescuing the woman from more serious injuries.

The woman was transported to the hospital for treatment before being released, according to local news sources.

The bear was approximately one or two years old and weighed 150 to 200 pounds, according to state officials.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection was alerted of the event and officials were deployed to set bear traps. The animal will be euthanized if it is apprehended, according to state regulations.

Residents in Sussex County told CBS News that the area’s bear population has exploded since the state ended the yearly bear hunt.

State fish and wildlife scientists estimate that the number of bears north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287 increased from 2,208 to 3,158 between 2019 and 2020, according to New Jersey DEP figures.

Lafayette Township is located slightly over an hour northeast of New York City in a more rural part of the state.

Bear assaults on people are exceedingly rare, and bears are not typically considered hostile toward humans. State officials, on the other hand, cautioned that any meeting with such a huge and strong animal may be fatal.

Officials encourage locals to avoid direct eye contact with the animal and carefully back away if such an encounter occurs. Make loud noises like yelling and clapping to scare a bear away, and make sure the animal has an exit path so it doesn’t feel trapped or surrounded.