Bear and 3 Cubs Attacks Man After Breaking into Colorado Home

A black bear and its three cubs attacked a man inside his home in Lake City, Colorado, after crashing through a sliding-glass door.
The break-in occurred on Thursday night, in the small southwestern town of around 400 people.
Wildlife authorities said the man, aged 74, attempted to shoo the adult female bear away using a kitchen chair but was knocked into a wall and injured by the bear’s claws.
The bear clawed at the man’s head, neck, arms, shoulder, abdomen, and calf, according to Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
Despite the altercation, the man and his wife managed to escape to a bedroom, where they called for help.
A sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene and chased the bears out of the house.
“It’s certainly lucky we didn’t have a fatality because it was close,” Colorado wildlife officer Lucas Martin said in a statement.
The man was treated for his injuries at the scene and did not require hospitalization, authorities confirmed. Officials did not release the family’s identity.
Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials euthanized the adult bear and the three cubs, which were found near the house.
A representative explained that euthanizing bears that enter homes is standard practice to prevent future conflicts.
Wildlife officers suspect that the bears were accustomed to people, as recent reports indicated that bears had been raiding homes in search of food in the area.
The agency expressed concern that the cubs are increasingly learning problematic behaviors from their mothers, which could result in future conflicts between bears and humans.
“It creates a very complex situation to mitigate,” Martin said.
“Unfortunately cub bears that are taught these behaviors by their mother may result in generations of conflict between bears and people.”
This was Colorado’s first reported bear attack of the year, according to Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
In 2023, there were six reported attacks in the state.
Lake City is located in the San Juan Mountains, a region known for its wildlife, frequented by elk and deer herds.
Bears entering human environments have been an increasing problem in recent years, especially as drought and habitat loss force them to search for food elsewhere.
State officials have urged residents to secure food and trash to deter the animal’s curiosity.
Three species of bears live in North America: black bears, grizzly bears, and polar bears, which are found only in Alaska.
Black bears are the most common species, found in 40 U.S. states—in Colorado, the state is home to an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 of the animals.
In the early 20th century, the species were nearly extirpated in several states, namely Missouri and Florida, due to overhunting and habitat loss.
Numbers in the U.S. have rebounded in recent decades thanks to conservation.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press