Neighbors want answers after bear frequently seen in Colorado neighborhood is shot by wildlife officers

A Colorado community is left agitated and confused after a bear was shot near a neighborhood in Castle Rock.

"It's kind of the neighborhood mama bear," said Chris Cote, Terrain HOA member.

Last month, Jeff Berta witnessed an impromptu pool day in his backyard on his Ring camera. The video showed a bear family.

"She checks out the birdhouse and such, and then you see the little one, the first little one, and he or she decides I'm just going to jump in the pond," Berta said.

"Then, mom says, 'You know what? That's enough. I'm gonna leave.'"

The video shows the cubs playing with each other in Berta's pond as the mother bear gets out.

Berta's daughter named the mama bear Melanie and her cubs Sugar and Honey.

"To see a mother and her cubs, that's pretty beautiful. And you just watch them and how they act and how they interact with each other. It's just a great thing. I love it," Berta said.

Last week, Berta heard what he thought were fireworks.

"Forty-five minutes later, when my wife came out, and it happened again, and she said 'Those are gunshots,'" Berta said.

Berta and his wife used binoculars to watch Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers tranquilizing the cubs about 1,000 yards from their home.

"They had rifle, and they had what appeared to be a truck. Tranquilizer kit, sort of a black box. I did observe one that had a stethoscope at one point, tarps coming off of the trucks," Berta said. "Ultimately, as we were observing, we saw an officer climb up in a tree, and bring a cub down."

They didn't see the mama bear but watched officers carry something big up an embankment.

"There were five officers that were carrying a tarp. It was pretty heavy," Berta said. "The CPW officers did shoot guns. We know that, or tranquilizers, something. We know that for a fact because we observed them doing it."

CPW says a bear was shot on Douglas County land. Her two cubs were taken to a rehabilitation center. CPW is investigating but didn't share any other details.

The news left neighbors devastated.

"It was like a member of the family. Yeah, because they came around pretty often," Berta said.

"I think everybody was kind of heartbroken. This bear's been around with its cubs. Everybody sees it on nighttime video camera footage," said Cote.

With no details about who shot the bear or why, speculations circulated online.

"It seemed like it was a pretty docile animal that was kind of friendly in the neighborhood and peaceful, and so it's a little bit hard for people to wrap their heads around," said Cote. "It puts you ill at ease. You don't want it to be something that happened that didn't have to happen."

"The fact that it was in a community that's populated is also upsetting," Berta said. "Why. Why was a bear killed? Mother bear killed, within 100 yards of a house."

As the neighborhood waits for answers, the furry family's absence will be felt by many.

"I hope Sugar and Honey are, you know, wherever they are, and that they're being well taken care of," Berta said.

These neighbors hope the loss will be a cautionary tale and encourage others to respect wildlife.

"We're trying to make sure that everybody takes this as a teachable moment, not just for this neighborhood but for others. Lots of bear activity this year probably due to the drought, and so if you're going to live in an area where there's regular potential contact with bears, you've got to change your awareness," said Cote.

"We live in their world. It's not the other way around," Berta said.