Man’s bold decision to lasso bear may have saved its life

After a week of watching and worrying about a bear with a jug stuck on its head, a Glenwood Springs business owner decided to take action.

Jim Hawkins owns the Four Mile Creek Bed and Breakfast.

Hawkins told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that for nearly a week, the bear had been wondering up and down the valley with a bulk-size cheese ball container stuck over his head.

While the sight of a bear with a jug on its head sounds funny, Hawkins wasn’t laughing because he realized the bear couldn’t eat or drink.

Over the course of several days, Hawkins would call Colorado Parks and Wildlife whenever he spotted the bear, but the animal would be gone by the time help arrived.

On Wednesday, Hawkins decided the only way to save the bear, was to keep him there.

Hawkins grabbed a rope and some gloves, and as it walked across his property, he lassoed it.

The bear, as you can imagine, wasn’t happy. Hawkins says they wrestled a bit. He ended up with some cuts on his arms that required stitches.

The bear eventually went up a tree. When Parks and Wildlife officers arrived, they lured the bear down and cut the jug off of his head.

Hawkins says the bear was then relocated to the wilderness.

Hawkins seemed a bit taken aback by all of the attention he is getting over the episode.

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