UPDATED: bear found roaming neighborhood euthanized
One of the bears found roaming in the Rockrimmon neighborhood in Colorado Springs was put down, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.
“We had to put this bear down, because it had been fed for a while, and had been habituated to finding food from people,” Area Wildlife Manager Frank McGee said. “Once a bear is habituated around people, it doesn’t matter how far we take it, it’s going to go back to people for food.”
Last week, a woman was arrested for illegally feeding and luring bears to her home. Jo Ann Medina, 62, was taken into custody Wednesday and posted an $800 bond.
After numerous warnings and citations that span multiple years, including a court order, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Springs Police Department made the arrest.
“After a comprehensive investigation it was clear that this had become a human health and safety issue,” said Matt Robbins, public information manager for CPW. “It had become a matter of when, not if, someone was going to be hurt. We had a responsibility to intervene.”
One neighbor, James Hamilton set up his own camera in the area.
“I’ve caught four different ones on the camera. I know there’s more than that,” said Hamilton.
The surveillance footage shows a bear roaming the Rockrimmon neighborhood.
Colorado Revised Statute 33-6-131 prohibits anyone from knowingly luring bears.
It was determined that no less than six bears had been routinely visiting the property. Efforts are underway to capture the bears and restore safety to the neighborhood.
“Bears have a mission to find food,” said Ray Soucie, who specializes in bear behavior. “So, yeah, that could be dangerous, not a lot of people are aware of that.”
CPW has coordinated with the El Paso County Health Department and the USDA – Wildlife Services to remove the wildlife.
CPW said the bear captured was an adult boar that weighed about 300 pounds. He said while young bears might be able to be moved elsewhere, adult bears will continue to turn to people for food.
“We don’t want to have to put the bears down either, but unfortunately, because somebody made the decision to feed these bears, they have come to find people as a food source,” McGee said.
