Wildlife officials in Colorado have located and killed a bear believed to have been involved in a home break-in and attack, injuring the homeowner.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said a team with tracking dogs located the bear on the backside of Aspen Mountain before tracking it to a mine shaft and killing it, The Aspen Times reported. DNA from the bear was sent to a lab to verify it was the same bear involved in the break-in.
The homeowner is undergoing surgery after a bear broke into his home through the front door and swiped a paw at the man, department officials said.
“The injuries are pretty significant lacerations to his face, neck and head,” department spokesman Randy Hampton said. “We’re worried about his eye and his ear.”
The man was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital and then transferred by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction where he was scheduled for surgery, Hampton said, adding that his injuries are not life threatening.
The bear matches the description of a bear that was seen frequenting the Castle Creek neighborhood for several days, officials said. Past attempts to haze or trap the animal were unsuccessful.