PITKIN COUNTY, Colo. — A bear attack inside a home left one person with "severe swipe injuries" early Friday in the Aspen area.
Randy Hampston, public information officer for the northwest region of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said a call about the attack came in at 1:28 a.m.
Hampston said the house, which is located 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, Hampston 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, Hampston said. Other family members in the house called 911.
The injured homeowner was transported to a hospital with severe injuries to his face and neck, according to CPW. He is undergoing surgery, but is stable and his injuries are not life-threatening.
Hampston said CPW 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 are working in the area. A search for the bear is underway with the help of tracking dogs.
Because DNA evidence was collected in the home, wildlife officers will be able to test the DNA of a suspected bear to ensure it's the same one.
Once they find the bear, it will be euthanized due to its history of run-ins with humans and this attack, Hampston said.
"There is nothing to indicate that this homeowner did anything wrong that attracted the bear," he said. "We’ll be investigating what led up to all of this, but this is a person in their home, asleep at night and a bear that has become too acclimated to just being around people ... to the point that it broke into his house."
He said while it's not rare to see a bear around Aspen, it is uncommon for one to get inside a home.
This marks the first bear attack in Aspen this year.
Three people reported a bear attack in Aspen last summer, he said. A hiker was attacked while walking along the Hunter Creek Trail in May, one person was attacked outside Aspen Meadows Resort in July, and a restaurant manager was bitten by a bear at a trash bin in August.
"Bears are incredibly intelligent animals, to the point that we know they’ll remember where they got food up to a year after they found food in a location," Hampston said. "So, they have a real affinity to food. And they’re driven by food. And they’re very, very intelligent. So, once they learn that they may get food out of a car or out of home, it’s very difficult at that point to do anything."
For the most part, bears don't want to hang around humans, he said.
"Bears do not typically go into houses looking for food unless they get to the point that they know what’s in there and when it gets to that point, there’s not much that we can do," he said.
CPW recommends visiting its website to learn about how to bear-proof your home.
This is a developing story. Stay with Denver7 for updates.
"severe" - Google News
July 10, 2020 at 06:15PM
https://ift.tt/2BV8HbO
Bear attack inside home in Aspen area leaves person with 'severe swipe injuries' to face and neck - The Denver Channel
"severe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2OrY17E
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Bear attack inside home in Aspen area leaves person with 'severe swipe injuries' to face and neck - The Denver Channel"
Post a Comment