LONGWOOD, Fla. — Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) say they are now investigating reports someone tampered with a trap they set up in a Seminole County neighborhood where a woman was attacked by a black bear earlier this week. 

• RELATED: FWC: Attack a Reminder That Bears Are Preparing for Winter

FWC has removed the tampered trap from The Springs in the town of Longwood after officials say they saw no sign of a mother bear or her cubs. 

FWC says if it had caught the momma bear, the animal would have euthanized it. 

That possibility is something that may have angered some residents.

"I think myself and others in the community are saying the bear is getting a bad rap on a technicality, the bear is not aggressive, the bear is simply defending her cubs," said resident George Diaz.

Early this week, a woman who let her dog outside after midnight saw the mother bear and her two cubs.

The woman fell down and hurt herself. The mother bear then injured the woman's ankle, although the injuries were not life threatening and the dog is okay.

FWC released this statement Thursday evening: 

"We would highly discourage this type of activity. While we cannot predict all elements of a situation involving the tampering of an official FWC bear trap, it is unlawful to interfere with commission officers or assistants while engaged in the performance of their duties; for example trapping of wildlife deemed a public safety issue. Subjects who participate in such activity could potentially be subject to fines or other law enforcement action.​"