Sheepherder attacked by bear in southwest Colorado

DURANGO, Colo (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) reported Wednesday that a bear attacked a man Tuesday morning in the Weminuche Wilderness, northeast of Durango.

CPW said the 35-year-old man was a herder working for a permit holder of a sheep grazing allotment in the San Juan National Forest. He sustained bite wounds to his head as well as wounds to his left hand and arm, severe lacerations to his left hip area, and scratches on his back.

CPW said the victim reported being woken up by a disturbance in his camp involving his sheep and a black bear. The victim said he fired a .30-30 caliber rifle at the bear before it attacked him.

After the attack, the victim crawled to his tent and contacted a family member. He was then airlifted to a medical center where CPW collected DNA samples. Then he was flown to Grand Junction for surgery, CPW said.

According to CPW, wildlife officers were on scene at the camp early the next morning and found a blood trail, the victim's rifle, and two dead sheep with wounds consistent with a bear attack. An agent from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) was called in with a team of dogs to search for the bear.

CPW said the dogs caught a scent trail and pursued the bear across the Flordia River and through steep, treacherous terrain. After nearly six-hours of pursuit, the APHIS agent shot and killed the bear.

CPW said that because the bear made contact with a human, it is classified under CPW policy as an attack and the agency’s policy is to euthanize the bear.

“This is a difficult part of the job,” CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta said. “But when it comes to injuries to humans as a result of a predator attack, human health and safety is our top priority.”

According to CPW, the bear was estimated to be an eight-year-old male and weighed approximately 250 pounds. Sheep wool was discovered in its stomach but DNA samples were sent to the CPW Wildlife Health Lab in Fort Collins for testing to compare it with samples collected at the attack scene.

“Until we get results back from the lab regarding DNA testing, we can’t 100% confirm that this is the offending bear,” Archuleta said. “But based on the information we have at this point, we feel confident that it is the offending bear.”

This is the first reported bear attack in Colorado in 2023 and the first in La Plata County since April 2021, according to CPW.

For information on Living with Bears, go to: https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/LivingwithWildlifeWildBears.aspx