Mama bear killed when charging at officer in Eagle County
By: -----
Eagle-Vail, CO - The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office has released body camera footage related to the killing of a mother bear in the area of the River Run apartment complex of Eagle-Vail last month.
According to a report on the matter, the death of the bear occurred on August 24 when deputies responded to a report of bears in the area. Upon arrival, the bear was found with two cubs and a large group of about 40 people – a mix of adults and children – gathered around the animals to take videos and photos. Colorado Parks and Wildlife was advised of the situation and en route to the scene.
The first priority of deputies was to disperse the crowd. After, deputies made a plan to haze the bears out of the area and toward a nearby river with the use of non-lethal ammunition. The goal was to restore the bear’s natural fear of humans with the River Run complex being an area where multiple prior bear-related responses had taken place, including a response on August 17 in which a man was injured by bears and cubs near one of the complex’s laundry rooms. It remains unknown if the bears involved in the August 24 incident were the same that left the man injured.
The hazing attempt started with deputies yelling at the bears to get them to move. The sow then charged the officers, with a deputy firing nonlethal rounds from a shotgun-style firearm in response. One of the rounds hit the adult bear in her hind legs, at which point she spun to face the deputy while pacing. She then charged the deputy as he repositioned himself behind a boulder with the deputy appearing to quickly switch to his handgun, firing several shots and killing the bear as it rapidly advanced.
Following the death of the mother bear, deputies remained on scene to ensure that the cubs were given space. Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel arrived around 8:50 p.m. and took the two cubs to safety, with the cubs now receiving care at a rehabilitation center in Silt.