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Woman killed by pet bear

A woman was mauled to death by a captive 160-kg black bear in front of her children as she cleaned the animal's cage, officials in Pennsylvania said yesterday. The woman's husband was an exotic pet dealer who was operating with an expired license, officials said. Kelly Ann Walz, 37, went into the bear's steel and concrete cage on Sunday, throwing a shovelful of dog food to one side to distract the bear while she cleaned the other side. Her children and the neighbor's children saw the attack and summoned help, and the neighbor shot and killed the bear while it was atop Walz.