Have you ever discovered something strange while hiking the woods of New York State? I have heard of people finding an old plane crash site while others report that they found cars and deteriorated foundations to homes that once stood. Each of those are intriguing in their own way but what if you found a body part?

What would you do if you found a skull or bones while exploring the wild? This is starting to remind me of the premise to the movie 'Stand By Me' where this group of friends set to to find a dead body. Earlier this month, it wasn't a body that was found, just a body part.

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Common sense, and perhaps the law, would suggest that you call 911 immediately after finding a dead body, or parts of one. On Saturday May 13th, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) received a call about a mysterious hand that was found in Niagara County.

Take a look at the picture below. 5 fingers, knuckles, veins, finger nails. All indications are that this is a human hand but who does it belong to?

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New York State Forest Ranger, Officer Holzle, checked with DEC Regional Wildlife Biologist Connie Adams, who determined the mystery hand is actually a paw from a black bear. What?! This leaves us with a lot of questions.

According to the Citizen Times, one reason a bear could lose it's paw is due to being struck by an automobile. Often times a bear will survive being hit by a vehicle. They may lose a limb, but there is a good chance they survive.

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