The Colorado Division of Wildlife was called to an incident involving a black bear at a home on East Sopris Creek Road in Old Snowmass this morning (Thursday, Oct. 11). A homeowner entering his garage to feed his dogs was charged and clawed by a bear inside the garage. The man suffered minor injuries but was able to retreat back inside the home and dial 9-1-1.
Pitkin County Sheriff's deputies and DOW District Wildlife Manager Kevin Wright were called to the scene shortly after 7 a.m. Upon arrival the bear remained in the garage despite having the opportunity to flee into the surrounding woods. The bear behaved aggressively towards officers and the bear was shot and killed.
The bear was an adult male bear (boar) weighing approximately 350 pounds. The bear's teeth were well-worn and indicate that the bear was older. DOW officials believe the bear entered the garage through a door that was left slightly open to allow the homeowner's dogs to enter the garage from the yard.
Bears are currently preparing for hibernation by consuming large quantities of food. Homeowners in bear areas are reminded to secure trash, feed pets indoors, keep doors and windows closed and locked, clean up around fruit trees, remove bird feeders and thoroughly clean barbecue grills after use.
Colorado is home to between 8,000 and 12,000 black bears. While black bears are not typically aggressive they are powerful predators that can become dangerous when habituated to human food sources.
