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| yew, called taxine, is highly toxic to humans and animals if ingested. |
WEST WYOMING -- Pennsylvania State game officials say four bears found dead in Luzerne County were poisoned but not by a person.
The mother bear and her three cubs were found earlier this month near a church parking lot in West Wyoming.
Conservation officers considered the deaths suspicious, but after examining two of the bears, the game commission now says they died from eating English yew plants.
The shrubs are used in landscaping and are fairly common. Officials say a compound in yew, called taxine, is highly toxic to humans and animals if ingested.