Search Continues For Person Responsible After Bear Shot, Killed
IDLEDALE, Colo.- The search for the person responsible continues after bear was found shot and killed in Jefferson County.
When you live in the foothills it's not uncommon to see all kinds of wildlife. But on June 20, one Idledale resident saw the body of a bear near a pond at Grapevine and Saw Mill Gulch.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers responded and didn't like what they found.
"A large female black bear shot and killed illegally," said Lauren Truitt with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
This bear was no stranger to wildlife officers. She had been trapped and relocated by CPW in 2015. Since then, the bear had stayed out of trouble.
Now wildlife officers are trying to figure out how the bear ended up dead, "We have no leads and no identification of what happened to the bear."
Officers suspect the bear was shot at a nearby house then ran away and died later.
Since Idledale is a small and close community, wildlife officers believe someone knows what happened.
Truitt says they are asking people to come forward, "If you have any information or saw any weird or unusual activity in the area report it and let us know."
She reminds people that if you have a bear or other bothersome wildlife on your property, don't shoot the animal.
"Scare the bear off. What you want to make sure you are teaching the bear is that being around people is not something they want to be doing," said Truitt. "These are Coloradans' wildlife so poaching is one of the most serious cases we deal with."
Michael Abeyta is a 4th generation Coloradan and a Multimedia Journalist for CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 5 & 6. He is on Twitter! Follow him @AbeytaCBS4.