A female bear was euthanized this weekend after attacking a man at his home near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Around 11 p.m. Sunday, a man noticed the door to his garage, where he stored birdseed and other bear attractants, was open, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials. The man went to close the door, but upon entering the garage, he encountered a female bear and her two cubs.
As the man attempted to back away from the bears, the sow attacked. She caused serious injuries, including severe lacerations to the man’s head and legs that required surgery.
The victim is in stable condition and his injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers and park rangers responded to the home and began a search for the bear and cubs. The CPW team quickly found the sow near the home. The bear was euthanized and its remains were sent to CPW’s Wildlife Health Lab for necropsy.
Wildlife officers remain in the area searching for the two cubs. When found, officers will work to trap them and move them to a rehabilitation facility.
“This is an unfortunate reminder that we need to stay vigilant and ‘bear aware’ at all times,” Kyle Bond, CPW district wildlife manager, said. “Easy access to food will always override a bear’s natural fear of people, so we humans have to stay on top of keeping all food sources secure.”
This is the first bear attack in the Steamboat Springs area this year, although not in Colorado itself. Earlier this year, a woman was killed by a bear in southern Colorado.
It wasn’t clear if the bear that attacked the man was a grizzly.
