HARJEDALEN, Sweden, March 30 (UPI) -- Police in northern Sweden said they decided to euthanize the abandoned cubs of a female bear that mauled a Swedish boy at a ski resort last week.
Olle Frisk, 12, was bitten on both legs and clawed on his back after he fell into the bear's winter lair while skiing with four friends, the Swedish News Agency TT reported Wednesday.
The bear fled into the forest after the attack, abandoning her cubs, which would die of starvation without her.
Bear expert Lars Svanberg said it was surprising the mother failed to return to the lair within a few days.
Tuesday local police said the cubs were in such a bad state, they had to be euthanized despite an offer from an animal park to take them.
"We didn't want them to suffer," said police spokesman Andrew Sorenson. "We are certain that we reached the right decision."
Olle, who remains hospitalized, said he was bitterly disappointed about the cubs' fate.
