Elk NetworkBear Put Down after Breaking into Colorado House

General | June 24, 2020

Below is a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) responded to a state patrol call placed by a Colorado Springs resident that a bear entered her home through a screen door.

CPW officers were called to a Northwest Colorado Springs neighborhood on Spirerock Path Road around 10:30 a.m. this morning. When the officers arrived on site they discovered a 150-pound male bear still inside the home sitting on the resident’s couch.

The bear entered the home by ripping a patio screen door. The resident was cooking bacon and was able to safely exit her home through her front door when she saw the bear was entering her property. CPW wildlife officers reported a birdfeeder outside the home and cat food was located by the patio screen door, which could have attracted the bear to the home.

CPW wildlife officers previously relocated the bear from a Northeast region neighborhood, however, it managed to navigate itself back into a populated neighborhood in an attempt to look for food. After assessing the situation, wildlife officials were able to euthanize the bear to protect residents from potentially dangerous attacks and additional property damage.

“It’s always a hard day when we have to euthanize a bear,” said District Wildlife Manager Cassidy English. “Our mission is to protect wildlife. When bears become habituated to people, they can become a threat to public safety. This is why it is so important that our community works together to keep wildlife wild.”

Most conflicts between people and bears can be traced to easily accessible human food, garbage, birdseed or other attractants. A bear’s natural drive to eat can overcome its wariness of humans. Bears that get too comfortable around people can learn to open doors, destroy property or even become aggressive towards humans.

(Photo source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)