Eagle County deputy kills bear who charged him at apartment complex where previous attack occurred

EAGLE, Colo. — An Eagle County Sheriff’s Office deputy was forced to kill a bear last month after the wild animal charged him at an Eagle-Vail apartment complex that had been the site of a previous bear attack just a week earlier.

The attack — the state’s 10th so far this year — was captured on body worn camera video as deputies responded to the River Run apartment complex on Aug. 24 at around 7:30 p.m. The complex had already made headlines after a bear swiped a man leaving a laundry room on Aug. 17. It’s unknown if the bear from that incident is the same one, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said Tuesday.

The following video contains footage some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion advised:

At the scene of the Aug. 24 incident, deputies found not only the sow and her cubs, but a large group of approximately 40 people, including children, who had gathered outside to see the bears.

“Everyone needs to go! Everyone needs to go! This is a bear; it’s not a dog! Go inside!” one Eagle County deputy can be heard telling the group of residents who had gathered at the parking lot of the complex to film the sow and her cubs.

After dispersing the crowd, body worn camera video shows one deputy trying to haze the bear and her cubs by firing non-lethal rounds at them to try to get them to leave toward a river. Deputies said bears have been reported in the area repeatedly, seemingly attracted by the smell of trash from the complex.

The body worn camera video shows the sow was not deterred by the first round, and so another was fired in her direction, hitting her in her hind legs. The shot caused the bear to spin quickly on the deputy and began pacing.

Video from the deputy’s body worn camera then shows the deputy repositioning himself behind a boulder as the bear charges him. The deputy can be heard yelling at the bear before he is forced to fire several lethal rounds in self-defense. Seconds later, the bear can be seen falling to the ground as one of her cubs runs toward her.

“We are heartbroken that a bear was killed in self-defense. We do not take lightly the responsibility we have in Eagle County to cohabitate with wildlife or the duty we have to protect both citizens and visitors,” a spokesperson for the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office said in news release Tuesday.

The spokesperson said deputies stayed at the scene until Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers arrived to take the orphaned cubs to a rehabilitation center in Silt.

A growing list of bear attacks in Colorado this year

This incident is the latest in an unprecedented number of bear conflicts across Colorado this year, which Denver7 has reported on over the past several weeks. The conflicts are due, in part, to worsening drought conditions that have depleted natural food sources for bears, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

CPW reports that Colorado has reported more than 6,000 bear sightings so far across the state — nearly double last year’s numbers.

As bears begin to enter hyperphagia — an instinctive, metabolic change resulting in an almost constant feeding frenzy as the bears prepare for winter hibernation — bear activity is expected to increase while they search for 20,000 calories per day before denning, a CPW spokesperson said.

Late last month, a bear attack in Jefferson County injured an angler — but that wasn’t the only incident that week. A couple of days earlier, a bear attacked a man leaving a laundry room at an Eagle-Vail apartment complex, followed by a bear attack that injured an unhoused man sleeping in Aspen.

An incident involving a bear cub that died from injuries in a hazing operation in the Town of Granby occurred on the same day a bear attacked a woman in her 80s after breaking into her home in Estes Park. Another bear in Steamboat Springs scratched a napping resident on Sept. 3.

Those attacks have prompted CPW to launch a new education campaign to raise awareness about this year’s record bear activity and how people can prepare to reduce the number of bear conflicts that could potentially lead to more dangerous encounters.

Watch Denver7 reporter Claire Lavezzorio's report in the video below:

Wildlife officials remind the community that preventing conflicts requires a collective effort. CPW recommends the following BearWise tips to keep bears wild:

• Never feed or approach bears. Intentionally feeding wildlife or letting them find accessible food is illegal. It teaches them to approach homes and lose their natural fear of humans.
• Safely store trash, animal feed and other attractants. Lock up trash receptacles and food scraps to eliminate the powerful odors that attract wildlife to residential properties.
• Never leave pet food outdoors. Feed domestic pets indoors or thoroughly clean up bowls immediately after any outdoor feeding.
• Clean and store outdoor grills. Burn off grease and food particles after every use, and store grills inside a secure garage or shed.
• Secure windows and doors. Keep all bear-accessible windows and doors closed and locked, including garage doors. Bears are excellent climbers, so this includes any top story exterior windows or doors.
• Know what to do if a bear does enter your home. If a bear is in your house, leave immediately if you can safely do so.
• Leave all exit doors open to give the bear a clear escape route, do not block its path, and never try to shoo or corner the animal out of your home. Call 911 immediately and remain outside until wildlife officers have confirmed the bear is out of the home.
• Know what to do if you encounter a black bear:
  
  • If you see a bear before it notices you, don't approach.
  • Stop and quietly move away, while giving the bear a clear escape route.
  • If a bear sees you, back away slowly. Never run; running may trigger a chase response.
  • If a bear approaches, hold your ground, wave your arms and yell, "Hey, bear!" until it leaves.
  • If a black bear makes contact with you, do NOT play dead; fight back aggressively.

CPW encourages Coloradans to report bear activity and conflicts by clicking here.

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