A 425-pound, nine-year-old bear was gunned down in a Trinidad homeowner’s yard Monday night, a shooting that state wildlife officials say has upset residents in the southern Colorado town.
“He was a big boy – a monster,” said Bob Holder, a District Wildlife Manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
The division is offering a $1,000 reward leading to information about the shooting.
Holder said that so many people are upset about the shooting that the reward may grow, because at least one business owner is considering contributing additional money to the fund.
“A lot of people are pretty incensed,” said Holder.
Holder said he received a call from a lady Monday night who said she could see a big bear sleeping in a neighbor’s yard with its paw over its nose.
When he arrived, Holder found the bear dead from a gunshot wound.
Holder said that as in 2001, customary food for bears in nearby hills is not as plentiful as normal. As a result, between six and nine bears are hanging out around town.
“It’s another tough year,” he said about the lack of food for the bears.
He said among the bears in Trinidad are two sows. Each sow, he said, started the summer with two cubs.
But he said both sows have lost a cub.
One was believed chased up a power pole by dogs, where it was electrocuted. The second sow, he said, apparently lost one of her cubs in the hills. She has returned to town with her one remaining cub.
Holder said that there are some circumstances where it is legal to shoot a bear. But it is not legal to shoot a bear just because it wanders onto your property or gets into your trash.
He said there were varying reports from people in the neighborhood. Some people thought they heard shots, others thought it was firecrackers, said the wildlife manager.
DOW officers say help from the public is often the only way poachers can be arrested.
Anyone with knowledge of the shooting should call the “Operation Game Thief” hot line at 1-877-265-6648 or call Holder at 719-680-1410. They can also e-mail Operation Game Thief at game.thief@state.co.us.
Citizens can remain anonymous, and are eligible rewards for their information if leads to issuing a citation.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
