Colorado Parks and Wildlife responds to 2 bear attacks, adding to increase in activity – Denver Gazette

Colorado Parks and Wildlife responds to 2 bear attacks, adding to increase in activity  Denver Gazette

Officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife responded to two separate bear attacks across the state this week, adding to what officials described as a record number of bear reports this year. The two attacks occurred early Monday in Steamboat Springs and early Wednesday in Aspen. In the Steamboat incident, a woman reported that a bear entered her residence through a sliding-glass door at about 1 a.m. The woman attempted to scare the bear away when it struck her in the face. She was able to self-transport to a local hospital and was later released to recuperate at home. She reported the incident to officials on Tuesday. CPW determined the bear gained entry to the home by damaging the wooden frame of the sliding door and knocking it off its track.

The attack comes after a black bear and two cubs were spotted at the Ore House restaurant Sunday evening in Steamboat. The cubs were spotted by diners as they climbed trees near a wooden fence at the edge of the restaurant’s outdoor seating area before the bear entered the seating area, as witnessed by a Denver Gazette reporter. The second attack happened around 3 a.m. Wednesday in Rio Grande Park in Aspen. A homeless man was sleeping in a park when a bear approached him and bit him on the