Black bear and 3 cubs euthanized after entering home, attacking 74-year-old man, park officials say

LAKE CITY, Colo. (Gray News) – A black bear and her three cubs were euthanized after they entered the home of a 74-year-old man and attacked him, according to park officials.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said it responded to the home on the north side of Lake City Thursday night.

Officials said the attack occurred around 8:30 p.m. after the bears gained access to the house through a partially cracked sliding glass door.

The people in the home said they were startled when they heard a loud crash and saw the bears entering through the door.

The 74-year-old victim grabbed a chair from the kitchen and attempted to direct the adult bear back out the door when the bear charged him. He was knocked into a wall, and the bear was able to get into a position over him.

The animal swiped at the man and wounded his head, neck, both arms, lower abdomen, shoulder and calf with its claws.

When emergency responders arrived at the home, they were able to treat the man’s wounds on the scene, and he declined to be taken to the hospital.

“It’s certainly lucky we didn’t have a fatality because it was close,” CPW wildlife officer Lucas Martin said.

When law enforcement and medical personnel arrived, the bear’s three cubs were still inside the home despite attempts by the other people inside to haze the bears away.

The residents had escaped the bears by locking themselves in a bedroom.

Eventually, a Hinsdale County Sheriff’s deputy was able to get the cubs out of the home.

Once outside, the bear and three cubs climbed trees outside the house. After they were determined to be involved in the attack, officials said the bears were euthanized.

The bodies of the bears were sent to CPW’s health lab in Fort Collins to be tested for disease and to undergo necropsies.

CPW Area Wildlife Manager Brandon Diamond said the circumstances of this incident are common for wildlife managers to encounter.

“Clearly, these bears were highly habituated and were willing to enter an occupied house with the residents sitting just feet away. When a bear reaches this level of human habituation, clearly a lot of interaction with people has already happened, and unless communities are working with us collaboratively and communicating issues, we have no opportunity to intervene,” he said.

Before the attack on Friday night, CPW said it had only received eight official reports of bear activity in Hinsdale County so far in 2024.

However, they said it is common for bears to be in and around Lake City.

CPW said the public should report all bear incidents to their nearest CPW officer to try and prevent conflicts from escalating into attacks.

Officials said this is the first reported bear attack in Colorado this year compared with six reports in 2023.

There have been 96 reported bear attacks in Colorado dating back to 1960.

Park officials said people can help prevent bear encounters by removing attractants and food sources that may bring bears closer to human spaces.

“This is a tragic thing that has happened, and it happened because bears continue to have access to human food sources,” Martin said. “We’ve talked about this for decades – access to human food sources, including trash and bird feeders, is what leads to escalating and sometimes dangerous behavior from black bears. The result is a lose-lose for bears and people.”

CPW has compiled tips and precautions to help avoid human and wildlife conflicts. These can be found on the CPW website.

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