ASPEN — State wildlife officials are attempting to capture a bear that attacked an Aspen homeowner Monday night. The animal will be euthanized if it is caught.
According to a new release from the Division of Wildlife, the woman went to the main floor of her home in the Cemetery Lane neighborhood west of town at about 10:10 p.m., intending to work in her home office.
As she passed through the home’s entry way, her small dog began barking frantically and she was confronted by a large bear. The woman screamed and turned to open the front door to get the animal out of the house, but the bear struck her, leaving lacerations on her back and chest, the DOW reported.
The woman was able to flee to an upstairs bedroom and call 911. The bear remained in the home for a short time but left as police responded, according to the DOW.
Wildlife officers arrived a short time later and began efforts to locate the bear, which apparently entered the home by opening a pair of unlocked French doors. Officers found nothing that might have lured the bear to the property.
The DOW believes the bear many be the same animal responsible for other entries and break-ins to homes in the area.
The DOW and Aspen officials have been urging area residents to keep doors and windows locked this summer to minimize bear problems, which have been rampant of late. At least five bears from the Aspen area have been euthanized so far this year, and a number of others have been trapped and relocated.
Read the rest of this article, including why bears might be more active, at .
