Visitors to the Sundeck on Aspen Mountain on multiple occasions fed a yearling bear in the days leading up to its death after it charged at a person Saturday, authorities said Wednesday.
“This explains 100 percent why that bear got the way it was,” said Perry Will, area manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Will said he and wildlife officer Curtis Tesch on Tuesday investigated the scenario that led to the. An employee of Aspen Skiing Co., which owns and operates the Sundeck, shot the bear inside the restaurant, which was closed at the time, after it charged him. The bear was put down by Parks and Wildlife later that day.
Parks and Wildlife’s investigation showed that the caretaker’s actions were justified, said Will and agency spokesman Mike Porras.
It is illegal to feed bears in Colorado, in large part because they can become accustomed to easy meals through aggressive behavior.
Read the full story on .
The shooting in Aspen is among a spat of bear encounters across the state in recent weeks.
Last week, that had trapped itself in an unlocked Subaru near the Chief Hosa campground. In another incident, The Daily Camera reports at a creekside Fourth of July ceremony in Boulder County. at two Aspen-area campgrounds because of bear encounters.
