A woman near Trinidad was injured when she came upon a bear next to her house this afternoon, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The bear ran off, but was shot and killed by wildlife officers when it returned to the home a short while later., said Parks and Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton
The woman’s name and condition were not available this evening, but her injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. The incident happened in the Santa Fe Trail subdivision about five miles southwest of Trinidad
Hampton said the woman’a grandchildren spotted the bear. She got the two children inside, and when she went out with a pot and pan to bang together to scare it away, she encountered it beside the house. Hampton said. “The bear surprised her and she she surprised the bear,” he said.
The woman was either bit or clawed, but she was able to get away and call for help.
A neighbor came and chased the bear away by firing a gun at it, Hampton said.
When the Las Animas County Sheriff’s deputies and a wildlife officer arrived, the bear came back and was shot.
Hampton said the male black bear was probably between 1 and 2 years old.
He said the Trinidad area is one of the areas of the state best known for its bear activity.
Bears are relocated and euthanized in the state each year after run-ins with humans, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife urges people to take precautions to keep the bruins away.
The agency estimates there are 16,000 to 18,000 black bears in Colorado.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
