The officers discovered an aggressive mama bear had charged twice at two boys, ages 12 and 13
Colorado wildlife officials caught and euthanized a black bear after she charged at two boys, causing one of them to become injured after running into a tree branch.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers responded to a heavily wooded area in Colorado Springs Wednesday evening after receiving a call about a bear attacking two boys. The officers responded around 5:30 p.m. and discovered an aggressive mama bear had charged twice at two boys, ages 12 and 13, the wildlife agency said in a news release.
One of the boys ran into a tree branch and minorly injured himself, officials said. Wildlife officers and Colorado Springs police began combing the area in search of the sow and her two cubs.
Wildlife officials said the sow was aggressive toward the officer when located and was euthanized.
Officials searched for hours in heavy brush to locate the cubs. The wildlife agency deployed a drone to find the babies. After locating the baby bears, officers scared them up a tree to tranquilize them, officials said.
“The goal was to capture them and release them in the mountains in more suitable bear habitat,” the release said. “At their age and weight, the cubs were old enough to survive on their own.”
Once darted, the babies fell from the tree and were given a drug to reverse the tranquilizer. One of the cubs “never revived,” officials said.
The surviving baby was released Friday morning in a remote location, officials said.
“This was an unfortunate situation where a sow had become dangerously aggressive toward people instead of being scared of humans,” said Tim Kroening, CPW wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak area. “There was no choice but to put it down after it repeatedly charged people. And the death of the cub was a sad reminder of why CPW is reluctant to tranquilize wildlife.”
Wildlife officials recommend these tips if you encounter an aggressive black bear:
- Stand your ground.
- Raise your voice and speak firmly to the bear.
- If a bear approaches you, wave your arms or a coat, brandish a stick or throw rocks.
- If a bear attacks you, fight back “aggressively.”
Colorado’s first recorded bear attack of the year took place in July when black bear attacked a sheep herder. Another black bear bit a man lounging in a hammock at a campground in August.
Source: The Messenger
