Bear That Mauled Boy in Mall Held as Inquiry Begins

A 300-pound bear that mauled a 2-year-old boy in a shopping mall was under quarantine Monday as federal investigators began an inquiry into the animal’s keepers, authorities said.

Kevin E. Kuhn of Galion was listed in fair condition at Children’s Hospital with deep cuts to his scalp and face that required more than 100 stitches, officials said.

He was attacked Saturday while posing with the Himalayan bear, named Fluffy, after a children’s performance at a shopping mall in Mansfield, about 60 miles north of Columbus.

The bear’s owners had not sought return of the animal, and the county would resist any efforts to return the bear, said Joe Evans of the Richland County Health Department.

U.S. Department of Agriculture investigators arrived in Mansfield to look into the attack, police Capt. John Arcudi said. Owners of exotic animals must register with the Agriculture Department.

Fluffy is one of four bears featured in the “Goldilocks and Her Bears” shopping-center attraction. A bear named Fluffy in the same troupe clawed a Jacksonville, Fla., 4-year-old during a show last month, police said.

That child required at least six stiches, police said, and the bear was quarantined five days before being released to its owner, Walter Naghtin Sr., 54, of Tampa, Fla.