Bear gets stuck in Colorado Springs storm drain

We don’t know how it got in there, but a bear got stuck in a storm drain in Colorado Springs, and we’re only mildly surprised.

The bear was spotted by residents at the Brookdale Skyline community Thursday afternoon. We went out and saw the bear firsthand, and it appeared to be pretty calm, considering the predicament. It’s no cub, either, it’s larger than the drain entrances that would allow it in.

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Residents of the community had mixed emotions about the situation. Some were concerned, others were excited and wanted to see the bear.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials responded to the scene at about 5 p.m., and they worked with Colorado Springs Utilities to get a manhole cover open in the hopes that the bear would come out on its own.

At about 5:40 p.m., the bear did exactly that.

About 6 minutes after the manhole cover was removed, out came the bear, estimated to be 3 to 4 years old and about 250 lb. An @COParksWildlife officer fired a non-lethal rubber slug at the bear as officers chased it into an open space behind this #ColoradoSprings neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/F4f6FEcFI9

— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) July 26, 2018

When the bear got out, CPW used haze rounds to scare it away. Because of that, the bear wasn’t tagged and won’t be euthanized the next time it wanders around people.

CPW did some investigating and found an open dumpster nearby that was filled with berries on tree branches. While not official, it’s suspected that’s what lured the bear to the area.