Black bear attacks man inside Colorado home after breaking in with cubs
A 74-year-old man tried to shoo the bears out of his house, but was knocked into a wall and clawed at, authorities said.
Monday 7 October 2024 08:24, UK
A man was attacked inside his home by a black bear after it broke in through a glass sliding door late at night.
The bear - an adult female - and her three cubs crashed through the door at a home in Lake City, a southwestern Colorado town home to 400 people, on Thursday night.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said on Saturday that the man, 74, tried to shoo the bear out of his home with a kitchen chair, before being knocked into a wall and clawed at.
He suffered injuries to his head, neck, arms, shoulder, abdomen and calf before he and his wife escaped to a bedroom.
The wildlife agency said a sheriff's deputy chased the bears out, and medical responders treated the man at his house.
Colorado wildlife officer Lucas Martin said: "It's certainly lucky we didn't have a fatality because it was close."
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The bear and cubs are thought to have broken into the home in search of food.
Wildlife managers noted recent reports in the area of bears becoming more comfortable around people, and raiding properties as a result.
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State wildlife managers killed all four bears after the attack, which is standard practice for bears which associate people with food, the agency said.
"It creates a very complex situation to mitigate," Mr Martin added.
"Unfortunately, cub bears that are taught these behaviours by their mother may result in generations of conflict between bears and people."
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The incident marked Colorado's first report of a bear attack in 2024. Last year saw a total of six.