Colorado wildlife officials say they euthanized a mother bear after the animal charged two children and acted aggressively toward an officer.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife say they responded to a call of a possible bear attack involving 12 and 13-year-old boys in a wooded area in Colorado Springs. They say the bear charged at the boys two times, causing one of the boys to run into a tree. CPW said when they encountered the bear, the animal continued its aggressive nature, and the CPW officer had to euthanize the bear.
“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.”
The mother bear, or sow, was estimated to weigh about 150 pounds and had two cubs with her. CPW determined the bears are old enough to survive on their own.
Wildlife officials had to track the cubs and set up traps near the mother’s location. They also used a police drone that can detect a heat signature to track the bears down.
After an hours-long search, officers located the bears and used a tranquilizer to capture the animals. However, officers say, unfortunately, one of the cubs never revived. Officials released the surviving cub in a remote mountain location.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife recently reminded residents of bears preparing to hibernate. The yearly event, called hyperphagia, causes the bears to look for food in any location possible. It also creates more issues between the wildlife and humans as the bears are in a feeding frenzy.
