Bear Euthanized In Steamboat
Bear with "little fear toward humans" euthanized last week.
Routt County Wildlife officials were forced to take down a bear in Steamboat Springs. The bear apparently was a "multiple offender" having broken into several homes and vehicles. As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, Colorado Parks & Wildlife are asking Colorado residents to be "bear aware." They're on the move trying to satisfy their insatiable appetites.
This bear was particularly brazen. In just one day, the bear broke into two garages, three closed cars, and multiple trash cans. A local Steamboat resident says she owns a bear-proof dumpster secured with a metal bar, but that didn't slow the animal on its quest for food. “This bear climbed over the back of the trash enclosure, peeled the plastic up like it was a can and tore into our dumpster.”
Colorado Parks & Wildlife operates under a "two-strike policy" when it comes to bears. In most cases, officers typically tranquilize the animal and relocate it outside of town in the hope it won't return. However, because of the extensive damage and its apparent lack of fear, officers determined this animal couldn't be successfully relocated. The best course of action was to euthanize the bear. “The last thing we want to do is put a bear down,” reported a CP&W official.
Credit: Steamboat Pilot & Today