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Fatalities due to animal bites, the vast majority of which are associated with dogs and big cats, are relatively uncommon and rarely described in the literature. Especially rare are fatal bear attacks on humans. We herein present a forensic investigation of a fatal assault, involving numerous bites on a 42-year-old man in Finland by an European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos).

Firearm-related injuries are a major problem worldwide and one of the central issues in forensic pathology. An atypical appearance of a gunshot wound can create surgical or medico-legal diagnostic problems. We report a case of a homicidal shotgun fatality with an unusual trajectory of pellets in the body. Two large pellets perforated the anterior chest wall near to each other but made their exit through a common wound in the back. Our report describes the results of the medico-legal investigation and discusses problems related to examination of firearm wounds.