BEAR ATTACKS WOMAN IN MANITOU SPRINGS

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers are searching for a female bear with two cubs that attacked a woman in Manitou Springs on Thursday night. The sow charged her, knocked her down and clawed her back.

The woman, whose identity was not released, suffered three scratches down her back but was not injured seriously. She did not seek medical attention.

A passer-by was chased by a bear a few minutes later in the same block, just south of downtown.

Parks and Wildlife was alerted to the attack Friday morning by police. The victim told Parks and Wildlife officers she was walking home from work about 11:40 p.m. Thursday when she encountered an adult bear on the street.

After the attack, the bears wandered off, and the victim walked to her nearby home.

Wildlife managers will search for the bears. The public is urged to contact Parks and Wildlife immediately with any sightings of bears in Manitou Springs. Witnesses can call the State Patrol after normal business hours.

“This victim was very lucky she wasn’t more seriously injured in this attack, and we are urgently trying to find this bear,” said Cody Wigner, assistant area wildlife manager for the Colorado Springs region, in a news release. “We need the public’s help in catching this bear. Any bear that is this aggressive toward people is an imminent threat to public health and safety and needs to be removed.”

Wigner warned residents of Manitou Springs to exercise caution while walking around town at night. They should carry bear spray, make noise and avoid walking alone. Pets should be kept on a leash. Wigner also urged residents to secure their garbage cans because this bear has been seen eating from trash cans.

Man shoots, kills bear in self-defense.

BOULDER COUNTY» A camper shot and killed a bear after the animal charged the man and his dog at a camping area, authorities said.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Jason Clay said the man was camping outside of Nederland when he heard his dog barking early Monday, the Daily Camera reported.

The man said when he left his camper, he saw a bear chasing his dog. After the man called for his dog, the bear started charging at both of them.

Clay said the man then shot the bear, a male weighing about 260 pounds.

While it is illegal to shoot a bear to protect a pet, Clay said because the man was protecting himself, he likely will not be ticketed.

Clay said the bear had broken into the man’s vehicle days earlier. Officials believe the bear also had been infiltrating other campsites in the area.

Bear attack in home leaves man with “severe swipe injuries.”

A bear attack inside a home left a man with “severe swipe injuries” early Friday in the Aspen area. The animal was found Friday afternoon and euthanized, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Randy Hampton, public information officer for the northwest region, said a call about the attack came in at 1:28 a.m.

Hampton said the house, which is in the Clear Creek neighborhood outside Aspen, has a lever door handle on its front door. He said some newer homes have this feature to be

ADA compliant, but it makes entry much easier for bears.

“You’re talking about a 400-pound animal — they can push down with enough force to sometimes pop those locks,” he said.

The homeowner heard noises in the living room and went to check on it, Hampton said. Then, he saw the large bear.

The bear swiped at the him, leaving him with severe lacerations to his head, neck and face.

The bear then ran out of the home, Hampton said. Other family members in the house called 911.

The injured homeowner was transported to a hospital with severe injuries, according to Parks and Wildlife, and he underwent surgery. His wounds were not life-threatening.

Hampton said Parks and Wildlife has been receiving reports of a bear in the area and believes this was the same one. He said he also believes it’s the same bear that has been reportedly getting into trash in the area over the past few years. Past attempts to haze or trap it to relocate it elsewhere have been unsuccessful.

Wildlife officers worked with dogs in the area Friday morning to locate the bear. About 12:30 p.m. Friday, Hampton confirmed that the bear had been located and euthanized because of its history of runins with humans and this attack. He said Parks and Wildlife officials are “as confident as they can be” that it is the bear from the attack.