A man recently killed a bear in a Colorado mountain town while fearing for his life. Here's what Colorado Parks and Wildlife had to say about whether or not that killing was justified.
According to Aspen Times , the Gypsum man killed the bear on his family's property on June 10. The encounter started when the bear came "face to face" with the man's mother in a garage. After the mother retreated from the bear, she told her son about the situation. The man had heard his mother scream and had already grabbed a pistol. While the two were talking, the bear suddenly appeared and was reportedly running directly at the man.
The man backed away, but the bear kept coming. From a reported distance of about six feet, the man shot and wounded the bear. He then shot it again to kill it, with the bear later revealed to be Bear 935, which had previously been designated as a nuisance bear for its tendency to show comfort around humans and even enter homes.
Upon hearing about this situation from the Aspen Times , the OutThere Colorado team reached out to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for their take on what happened.
According to public information officer Rachael Gonzales, the killing of the bear was justified as human lives were believed to be at risk. After all, the bear was displaying aggressive behavior and charging the man when he shot the animal. Gonzales also noted how another person attempted to haze the bear away from the property and failed and how the bear decided to continue its charge at the man despite having multiple exit routes. All of these factors contributed to the wildlife officer who investigated the situation concluding that the killing was indeed self-defense.
In addressing this incident, it's also important to note that the killing of bears is highly regulated in Colorado and often not justified in many residential encounters. For example, if the bear had turned to run away instead of charging, killing the bear would have been illegal. Similarly, if a bear is merely wandering around a property and isn't threatening human life, the bear can't be killed. Those who end up in either of those aforementioned situations should contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife instead.
According to Gonzales, the only time a bear can legally be killed by a member of the public (except in the case where a person has a valid hunting license during hunting season) is when killing the bear is "necessary to prevent them from inflicting death, damage, or injury to livestock or human life." The killing must also be reported to Colorado Parks and Wildlife within five days, at which point it would be subject to investigation.
While interactions with wildlife in Colorado can't always be avoided, preventative measures are key – especially in the case of bears. Bear attacks are rare, but can occur, making it crucial to follow proper safety measures to prevent a dangerous situation.
Keep bears away from the home by making sure any type of food source is inaccessible. Bears are smart and curious and will enter homes and garages in they're hungry and think they'll get a snack. Even items like bird baths and bird feeders can attract bears, and when bears get closer to civilization and more comfortable around humans, it greatly increases the chance of a negative interaction that could result in the bear being killed.
If you do happen to see a bear on your property, haze it away from a safe distance with loud noises. It might be sad to see the bear go, but know that your efforts will likely help the bear live a fuller and longer life.
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