A close up of a black bear as he stops to pose for the camera.Photo:Getty
Getty
Thebear that attacked a security guardinside the kitchen of a Colorado hotel kitchen was captured and euthanized on Wednesday, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) agency said.
“Wildlife officers watched the bear, looking for identifiable markings, and eventually hazed the bear into a tree at the park around 2 a.m. Using a tranquilizer gun, wildlife officers were able to chemically immobilize the bear,” the agency said in the release.
The St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen, Colorado photographed on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty
Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty
“In the video, wildlife officers were able to see a distinctive white patch located on the bear’s chest,” the agency said, adding the spot “helped wildlife officers distinguish it from other bears in the area and confirm it was the bear responsible for the attack.”
As they searched for the bear, officers saw eight other bears roaming around downtown Aspen, per the release.
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“The bear, determined to be a boar, was taken away from the area and humanely euthanized per CPW policy,” the agency said, adding the animal’s body was taken to the CPW Wildlife Health Lab in Fort Collins for a full necropsy.
On Monday, the bear entered the kitchen at the St. Regis Aspen Resort andattacked a security guard, the CPWsaid in a news release.
“While in the kitchen, the security guard surprised the bear as he was going around a corner into another area of the kitchen,” the agency said in the release on Tuesday. “The bear attacked the guard, swiping at him and knocking him down to the ground.”
Officials said the victim escaped from the bear and called 911. He was hospitalized with scratches on his back and discharged on Tuesday.
The department stated that wildlife officers reached the scene shortly after midnight local time Tuesday to look for the bear. They found out during the investigation that “the bear had entered the hotel through a series of doors near the courtyard.”
“Wildlife officers were also able to get a description of the bear, including specific identification markers to assist in locating and properly identifying the bear,” officials wrote. “CPW wildlife officers remained in the area to search for the bear responsible for the attack.”
Officers located the bear early Tuesday morning, but they could not catch and safely sedate it due to public safety.
According to the agency, the attack “serves as an unfortunate reminder that bears are still active as they prepare for hibernation.”
“It is common for people to see bears and other wildlife inside Aspen town limits,” the CPW warned. “It is everyone’s responsibility to give wildlife space and remember the importance of being ‘bear aware’ at all times.”
source: people.com
