They say you should watch out for bears when you’re out hiking or enjoying a picnic – but did you ever think bears would come into your home?
Turns out, it happens. And in this instance, the bear even brought three cubs along as it invaded a Colorado home.
At a glance:
- A black bear and her three cubs attacked a man in his Colorado home after breaking in through a sliding glass door.
- The 74-year-old man sustained significant injuries but did not require hospitalization.
- Wildlife officers killed the bears to prevent further attacks.
A black bear and her three cubs attacked a man inside his home in Lake City, Colorado, after breaking through a sliding glass door, state wildlife officials reported. The incident occurred Thursday night in the small town, which is home to about 400 people.
The 74-year-old man attempted to fend off the adult female bear using a kitchen chair, but the bear knocked him into a wall and attacked him. He sustained injuries to his head, neck, arms, shoulder, abdomen, and calf, though he did not require hospitalization, according to Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
“It’s certainly lucky we didn’t have a fatality because it was close,” Colorado wildlife officer Lucas Martin said in a statement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDyieMuByWk
The man managed to escape to a bedroom while a sheriff’s deputy chased the bears out of the home. Medical responders treated the man at his house. Authorities did not release his identity.
Wildlife managers believe the bears had become accustomed to human presence due to recent reports of bears raiding homes in the area in search of food. Officials located and killed the mother bear and her three cubs near the man’s home, following standard procedure for handling bears that pose a threat to people.
“It creates a very complex situation to mitigate,” Martin added. “Unfortunately, cubs that are taught these behaviors by their mother may result in generations of conflict between bears and people.”
This was the first bear attack reported in Colorado this year, with six attacks recorded in 2023. The state regularly deals with bears becoming more aggressive and seeking out human food sources, especially in areas where food is scarce or where human interaction has conditioned the animals to associate people with food.
The incident underscores the ongoing challenge of managing wildlife in areas where human activity overlaps with bear habitats. Colorado Parks & Wildlife continues to urge residents and visitors to be cautious and avoid leaving food or garbage accessible to bears, in order to reduce the risk of dangerous encounters.
It might be wise to start locking your back door when you’re home, if you don’t already.
