Colorado Parks & Wildlife K9 Officer Helps Haze Bears To Save Their Lives

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- The Colorado Parks and Wildlife's newest K9 officer is helping haze bears in hopes of saving the animals lives. The strategy is meant to teach bears they aren't supposed to hang around people.

New video shows officers using K9 officer Samson hazing a bear that was captured after it got into a home in Teller County.

When the bear is released, Samson takes off and chases the bear while officers use nonlethal rubber bullets to scare it off.

While it may seem harsh, wildlife officers say this is the best way to keep bears from getting close to people, which put both humans and bears in danger.

Because this bear was hazed, it won't have a strike against it if officers encounter it again.