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A 30-pound bear cub in Colorado was crushed to death by an unlocked dumpster

Posted at 12:07 PM, Sep 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-10 14:07:46-04

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A 30-pound bear cub was crushed and killed after an unlocked dumpster tipped over in Jefferson County, Colorado.

On Monday morning, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said a male black bear cub was found dead with a dumpster on top of it at a residence in Indian Hills. They tweeted pictures of the scene.

Jason Clay with CPW said the dumpster was oddly shaped and on uneven ground. The incident was reported to Colorado State Patrol around 7 a.m. Monday, Clay said.

Unsecured human trash is easy food for a hungry bear, CPW said. Bears can become used to relying on this as a constant food course, which creates human-bear conflicts.

While this specific situation is unusual, it shows one of the many ways these conflicts can become deadly, CPW said. Dumpsters and other trash receptacles should always be secured so a bear cannot get inside.

This story was originally published by Stephanie Butzer on KMGH.