WATCH NOW: Woodland Park bear gets a little too curious
WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO)-- A man had an unfortunate encounter with Colorado wildlife when a bear broke into his pickup truck on Friday, tearing up the inside before Teller County deputies stepped in to help.
Christopher Shane Hasting told KRDO13 that the bear left some severe damage to his vehicle.
"I see the full-size bear just in my front seat, just ripping stuff to pieces, and I could hear the crunching... It hit me like, oh my God, this is my only transportation and I'm screwed now," said Hasting.
The video, which can be watched above, shows deputies working carefully to help the bear out safely.
Hasting tells KRDO13 that deputies used a beanbag gun to remove the bear from the truck, and the bear ran out unharmed.
Hasting and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) say this break-in from the bear serves as a lesson for everyone in "bear country."
"Basically, lock your doors because it's not just humans you have to worry about nowadays," says Hasting.
CPW recently announced nearly one million dollars in new funding across the state, all aimed at reducing human-bear conflicts.
READ MORE: Gov. Polis and CPW announce 2025 Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Grant recipients
"So this time of the year in particular bears are going into a phase called hyperphagia where they're to pack on as many calories as they can for winter. Don't have attractants that are readily accessible, whether that be outside their home or, in this case, especially inside of their vehicle," said Tyson Floersheim, District Wildlife Manager at CPW.
No injuries were reported from the incident, but Hasting says the damage to his truck will not be cheap.
Friends of Shane have started a GoFundMe page to help cover repairs, which can be found here.
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