Bear Attack in Aspen Home Leaves Man With ‘Severe Swipe Injuries’

A bear attack in Aspen, Colorado left a man with “severe swipe injuries.” The man reportedly found the bear in his living room.

After hearing noises in the living room, the homeowner saw the large bear. The bear swiped at the man, leaving him with severe lacerations to his face, head, and neck, according to Denver 7 ABC. The bear then dashed out of the house as the man’s family called 911.

Medical responders transported the homeowner to the hospital to treat his injuries. While his injuries required surgery, they are not life-threatening and the man is in stable condition.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife public information officer, Randy Hampton, the front door at the house has lever style handles. While these types of door handles are ADA compliant, they make entry much easier for bears. “You’re talking about a 400-pound animal — they can push down with enough force to sometimes pop those locks,” Hampton said.

In recent weeks, the CPW received multiple calls about a bear in the area. Park rangers believe the bear in the attack is the same one.

In order to locate the bear, wildlife officers worked with dogs in the area. The authorities collected DNA evidence in the home. Wildlife officers hoped to ensure they track down the right bear.

On Friday, Hampton confirmed the CPW located and euthanized the bear. He says the CPW is “as confident as they can be” that they found the bear from the attack.

Hampton also addressed the homeowner’s interaction with the bear. “There is nothing to indicate that this homeowner did anything wrong that attracted the bear,” he said. “We’ll be investigating what led up to all of this, but this is a person in their home, asleep at night and a bear that has become too acclimated to just being around people … to the point that it broke into his house.”

Hampton explains that the bear likely knew to look for food in the home. “Bears do not typically go into houses looking for food unless they get to the point that they know what’s in there and when it gets to that point, there’s not much that we can do,” he said.

[H/T Denver 7 ABC]

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