STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — A bear was rescued after it become stuck down an upright culvert Tuesday, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Construction crews had reportedly installed a waterline on a property in Priest Creek Ranch in Steamboat last week and covered it with a culvert. Sometime afterward, a 250-pound bear found its way in.
Randy Hampton, public information officer with CPW's NW Region, said Kyle Bond, the district wildlife manager for the Steamboat Springs south district, responded to the initial call.
When Bond arrived, he tranquilized the bear before climbing into the culvert with it and putting a strap around. The bear was then pulled out using a tractor, Hampton said.
Bond then performed a brief health check on the bear. It was placed in a transport trailer and will be relocated to the "wilds of northern Routt County," Hampton said.
He said it's unknown how long the bear was there.
