DATELINE — A large male bear was hit and killed by as many as four cars on Highway 82, adjacent to the Cozy Point Ranch near Aspen on the night of April 9, officials confirmed Tuesday.
The bear was reported to Colorado State Patrol officials at approximately 9:30 p.m. by a motorist who told the CSP about hitting the bear.
By the time an official of the Colorado Division of Wildlife could get to the scene of the accident, said Capt. Rich Duran of the CSP, it appeared that at least three other cars had also collided with the carcass as it lay in the road.
Duran reported that three of the vehicles had to be towed away due to damages cause by the collisions. He said no tickets were issued to the drivers.
Perry Will, DOW wildlife manager for Glenwood Springs, said the bear weighed 540 pounds, which he said “is a really big bear in the springtime.”
Typically, at that time of the year, bears are just coming out of hibernation and have lost considerable weight, he said.
Randy Hampton, public information officer for the DOW, said that in times past any black bear weighing more than 500 pounds was considered unusual at any time, but particularly in the spring.
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