Colorado Parks and Wildlife says bears attacked teen inside condo and woman at campground
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating two bear attacks over the weekend that left a woman and a teen injured.
The first incident happened at the Rio Grande National Forest Park Creek Campground on Friday. Around 5:30 a.m., a bear reportedly bit a woman on her arm through the side of her tent. Emergency services treated her for a puncture wound before she was taken to Rio Grande Hospital for follow-up treatment.
The woman told officials that she heard something hit the tent before she was bitten. Although she couldn't see what attacked her, she said that the animal was large and she heard a growl. CPW officers found holes in the tent, along with scratches and a paw print in the mud.
The campground was already scheduled to close for the season on Sept. 14. However, because of the attack, the park decided to close the campground early. Officers think the bite was an act of surprise, not aggression, and they don't believe there's a potential for further threats.
Two days later, a 17-year-old from Durango was attacked inside her bedroom at a condo on Escalante Drive. She told CPW that the black bear ripped off the window screen and entered the room through a window that was cracked open. She woke up and hid under the covers as the bear moved into the room and walked to her bedside. When the bear began sniffing her head under the blankets, she says she made a noise, and the bear swiped her on the stomach.
When she screamed and sat up, the bear backed away and went out through the window. However, it immediately came back in. The girl says that she stood up and began screaming, and the bear left for good.
Wildlife managers say the blankets protected her, and she treated the three scratches on her stomach herself.
"Based on what we know happened in this encounter, the woman is very lucky she had multiple blankets covering her when the bear swiped her," said District Wildlife Manager Luke Clancy.
CPW is currently looking for the bear, which later broke into another home on Monday. They say the bear poses a health and safety risk, and they intend to catch and remove it.
This is the 10th confirmed bear attack this season. Bears are entering hyperphagia, where they bulk up for winter, and the lack of their usual food sources is pushing them into neighborhoods in search of food.
CPW asked residents to lock their garages, doors and windows and secure anything outside that might attract a bear. That includes bird feeders and any type of food.
