Colorado Parks and Wildlife looking for a bear following an attack in Trinidad
TRINIDAD, Colo. (KRDO)-- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is looking for a black bear after it bit the arm of a man relaxing in a hammock on Saturday, August 5.
The incident happened at a campground in the Purgatoire River bottoms, east of I-25 In Trinidad.
The man who was bitten by the bear told CPW Wildlife Officers that he was in a hammock when he heard a rustling noise. That’s when he turned his headlamp on to find a dark-colored bear next to him.
The man said the bear bit him on the upper right arm, turned, and wandered off.
The man stated he then left the campground and went to a motel before calling an ambulance who took him to the hospital to treat the wound on his arm. CPW stated his injury appeared to be a 2-3 inch bite.
Officials with CPW stated he had no food or other attractants with him in the hammock at the time of the incident that might have lured the bear in.
According to CPW, they were notified of the bear attack after 10 p.m. on Aug. 5 and immediately began to search the campground calling in search dogs to initiate the hunt.
Two CPW Officers who responded to the incident stated they set a trap for the bear in case it returned to the campground and called in an agent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) with a team of dogs to search for the bear.
Under CPW policy, any bear that attacks a human is classified as a dangerous bear and, if captured, must be humanely euthanized.
In light of his incident, CPW is advising the public to always be aware of potential bear activity when camping in Colorado.
Bears that have previously found a food reward from a tent may attempt to enter even if no attractants are present, according to CPW.
To avoid problems for yourself and the bears, CPW is offering these tips to make sure there’s nothing to attract bears to your camp:
- Stash Your Trash. Use bear-proof containers when available. If they’re full, double bag trash and lock it in your trunk or RV. Never leave trash outside.
- Store Attractants Safely. Store food, beverages, and toiletries in air-tight containers and lock them in your trunk. Many bears have discovered that coolers, bags, and boxes are full of food; never leave them in your tent or anywhere a bear could see, smell or reach.
- Keep a Clean Camp. Bears are attracted to odors of all kinds and will investigate anything interesting in hopes of finding food.
- Keep a Clean Tent. Don’t bring anything with an odor into your tent – that includes all foods, beverages, chapstick, scented toiletries, gum, toothpaste, sunscreen, candles, and insect repellant. Don’t sleep in the clothes you cooked in; store them with your food.
- Lock RVs and Vehicles. Close windows and lock your vehicle and RV when you leave your campsite and at night before you go to sleep.
For more information on camping and hiking in Bear County, you can visit the CPW website and/or watch this informational video.
