On Thursday, in Lake City, Colorado, a 74-year-old man was attacked in his home by a black bear and three cubs, per CNN. The bears have since been identified and all four were euthanized.
This was Colorado’s first reported bear attack in 2024. There were six in 2023.
What happened in the attack?
According to CNN, at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, those inside the home were alerted by a crashing sound and then saw a female bear and three cubs entering the home through an open sliding door.
The man who lives in the home picked up a chair and used it to try and guide the bears out of his home.
Instead, the sow charged him and the man was knocked into a wall.
The bear then standing over him used her claws to swipe at the man, wounding his arms, lower abdomen, shoulder, neck, head and calf.
The residents of the home ultimately locked themselves in a room to escape the bears, per CNN. Once first responders arrived, the sow was no longer in the home and the three cubs were still inside.
Responders were able to guide the cubs outside the home.
The victim had his wounds treated on the scene by emergency personnel and he declined being transported to the hospital, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
What happened to the bears?
Once they had exited the home, the four bears had all climbed trees outside. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, after confirmation of the bears’ involvement in the attack, all four were euthanized.
“There was no question that these were the bears involved,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager Brandon Diamond in a release.
The bears’ bodies were sent to Fort Collins to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife health lab for a full necropsy and disease testing.
“It’s a terrible set of circumstances that, unfortunately, our District Wildlife Managers are routinely faced with,” Diamond said. “Clearly, these bears were highly habituated and were willing to enter an occupied house with the residents sitting just feet away. When a bear reaches this level of human habituation, clearly a lot of interaction with people has already happened, and unless communities are working with us collaboratively and communicating issues, we have no opportunity to intervene.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife gives advice on how to bear proof a home
In the news release about the black bear attack, Colorado Parks and Wildlife gave tips on bear-proofing homes:
- Keep garbage in a secure location and only put it outside on the morning of pickup.
- Keep garbage cans free of odor by cleaning them regularly.
- Don’t leave pet food or animal feed outside and do not hang bird feeders from April to November.
- If you see a bear near your house, try to scare it off, don’t allow bears to be comfortable around your home.
- Clean the grill after each use and thoroughly clean up after eating outside.
- Don’t allow fruit from fruit trees to rot on the ground.
- Keep animals in a fully covered enclosure and use electric fencing if possible. Keep the enclosures clean to reduce odors.
- Keep garage doors closed.