A bear injured during a conflict with a homeowner in the Fraser area had to be euthanized last week, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

This marks the first time this year that a bear, in this case an adult male black bear, had to be euthanized in Grand County, according to Jeromy Huntington, district wildlife manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Just before 3 a.m. April 11, a homeowner heard a noise coming from his garage in the forested neighborhoods on the plateau southwest of the Safeway store in Fraser. Huntington said the homeowner has experienced previous bear conflicts on his property and anticipated a bear being the source of the noise.

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After the homeowner discovered the bear in his garage, he attempted to scare it away. The homeowner “felt cornered between the bear and his house” and fired his .45 Long Colt at the animal, striking it in the leg, Huntington said.

The homeowner contacted officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife who responded to the scene and began tracking the injured bear.

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After several hours of search, state authorities located the bear near the Fraser River behind the East Grand Fire District’s Fraser firehouse. State officials euthanized the bear at around 2 p.m. that day.

The meat from the bear was salvaged and donated to a family from Kremmling. Its hide will be auctioned off by the state.

No Citation

State authorities determined the homeowner was acting to protect his property and in self-defense and therefore he received no citation or ticket.

The bear was euthanized primarily because it was already injured, however, Huntington explained that Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s official policy for human-bear conflicts requires euthanization for all bears that break into occupied dwellings. The garage the bear broke into, he said, had a pedestrian access door with a lever handle, which makes it easier for bears to attempt to access. It also had a coded lock system, but it was not engaged when the bear broke into the premises, he added.

Huntington said the bear was attempting to access a garbage can that was stored inside the garage at the time. While Colorado Parks and Wildlife does recommend homeowners store garbage can in garages rather than outdoors during overnight hours, Huntington said additional precautions are often warranted.

“Even in a garage, bears can get through the doors, or siding,” he said. “If it is made out of wood, it won’t keep bears out.”

Garages made from heavy construction materials can prevent bears from breaking in, but the lighter shed-like garage structures can be broken into. According to Huntington, a bear in the Winter Park area broke through the siding of a detached garage in the Fraser Valley earlier this year while attempting to access garbage.

“Bear’s don’t just come from the wild and enter someone’s house,” he said. “They become habituated over time through easy access to food sources, mostly trash and bird feeders.”

Events like these, while unfortunate, are not uncommon.

Be bear aware

Last year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife had to euthanize four bears in Grand County and sedated and relocated one additional bear.

“It is up to the community to protect bears, they can do that by being bear aware,” Huntington said, noting his frustration with ongoing bear conflicts that are largely related to homeowners leaving garbage cans or bird feeders out at night. “The biggest thing I see up here is there are a lot of places with plastic lids on dumpsters. We need to find a way to keep bears out of the trash.”

A bear relocated from Steamboat Springs was killed by CPW officers April 8 after it disturbed a farmer’s beehive near Meeker. It was the first bear the agency had destroyed in the state this year.

Kris Middledorf, the Steamboat area’s wildlife manager, assisted in the bear’s relocation and was disheartened to learn of its death, according to the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

“It’s the worst day for wildlife officers who go into this business to conserve wildlife, and then, they have to go put an animal down,” Middledorf said.

Middledorf posted an update on the incident on Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Facebook page Thursday morning, urging local residents to be vigilant about securing their trash and other wildlife attractants, as well.   

Watch

Editor’s note: We decided to show this video, which was taken from a neighbor’s security camera in relation to the April 11 bear in Fraser, to show what can happen if you don’t take actions to prevent bears from accessing items at your home, such as open garbage containers or bird feeders.