Bears..Oh My! (Colorado Springs, Aspen, Manitou Springs: renter, health insurance, house)

[Vision67]

Wildlife officials looking for bear that attacked woman in downtown Manitou Springs

https://gazette.com/news/wildlife-of...a0e34f522.html

"State wildlife officers are searching for a mother bear with two cubs that attacked and injured a woman Thursday night south of downtown Manitou Springs, officials said.

A few minutes after the woman was clawed across the back, leaving three large scratches, another person was chased in the same block by what is believed to be the same bear.

The woman, whose name was not released, told Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers she was walking home from work around 11:40 p.m. Thursday when she encountered an adult bear on the street.

The bear charged her, she said, when she turned and tried to escape, knocked her to the ground and scratched her back and ripped her shirt. A few minutes later, a colleague came walking down the same street and was chased by a bear. The second woman got away from the animal by running around a parked vehicle.

A neighbor who saw the encounters told wildlife officers two cubs were with the large, adult bear.

The bears wandered off and the victim walked to her nearby home. She did not seek medical treatment.

The public is urged to immediately contact CPW with any sightings of bears in Manitou Springs. Witnesses can call Colorado State Patrol after normal business hours to report sightings.

“This victim was very lucky she wasn’t more seriously injured in this attack and we are urgently trying to find this bear,” said Cody Wigner, assistant area wildlife manager for the Colorado Springs region.

“We need the public’s help in catching this bear. Any bear that is this aggressive toward people is an imminent threat to public health and safety and needs to be removed.”

Wigner cautioned residents of Manitou Springs to be mindful while walking around town at night as the search goes on. They should carry bear spray, make noise as they walk and don’t walk alone. Pets should be kept on tight leashes until this bear is captured.

Wigner also urged Manitou Springs residents to secure all garbage cans because the bear had been reportedly seen eating regularly from area trash cans.

The bear attack was the second reported in the past two days in Colorado.

A search is underway for a bear that attacked a resident inside an Aspen home early Friday morning, according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife news release.

The homeowner went to check on noises in the house around 1:30 a.m. when they encountered a large bear that swiped their neck and head.

The person was taken to a hospital and went into surgery. They are in stable condition with injuries that are not life threatening.

A search for the bear is underway using hounds. If found, the bear will be euthanized because of its aggressive behavior.

The bear matches reports of a bear that has been seen in the Castle Creek neighborhood and could also be the same bear that has rummaged through trash in the area for several years.

Previous attempts to track, catch and relocate the bear have been unsuccessful.

This is the first bear attack in Aspen this year. In 2019, there were seven reported attacks in Colorado in which a bear injured a person.

At least five people have been killed by bears in the state since 1934."

[Vision67]

Man mauled by bear in Colorado home

https://gazette.com/news/man-mauled-...e89278e04.html

"A search is underway for a bear that attacked person inside an Aspen home early Friday morning, according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife news release.

The homeowner went to check on noises in the house around 1:30 a.m. when they encountered a large bear that swiped their neck and head.

The person was taken to a hospital and went into surgery. They are in stable condition with injuries that are not life threatening.

A search for the bear is underway using hounds. If found, the bear will be euthanized because of its aggressive behavior.

The bear matches reports of a bear that has been seen in the Castle Creek neighborhood and could also be the same bear that has rummaged through trash in the area for several years.

Previous attempts to track, catch and relocate the bear have been unsuccessful.

This is the first bear attack in Aspen this year. In 2019, three human-bear attacks were reported in the Aspen area."

[Vision67]

300-pound bear took a nap so high in a tree, rescuers waited 12 hours to relocate him

CPW said they had to wait until the bear moved down the tree before tranquilizing it because a fall from 30 feet could hurt or kill the bear.

https://www.9news.com/article/life/a...d-3756abff35d6

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Vision67

300-pound bear took a nap so high in a tree, rescuers waited 12 hours to relocate him

CPW said they had to wait until the bear moved down the tree before tranquilizing it because a fall from 30 feet could hurt or kill the bear.

https://www.9news.com/article/life/a...d-3756abff35d6

The thought of harming a bear would be unbearable; I can barely contain myself.

[TCHP]

Saw the Aspen victim this morning on tv. He took a pretty heavy swipe across his face and neck. Obviously needed surgery to put him back together. He was a VRBO renter from Ohio. Photos of Manitou victim were considerably lighter and not much more than scratches. She got off pretty lucky as someone else distracted the bear after it had knocked her down.

Manitou bear has been located an euthanized. Cubs have been collect up and are heading for a center to raise them until they are large enough to be released in the wild.

[HatchChile]

Gosh, that sounds pretty scary. I am glad she got away with just few scratches. But, I am still surprised that she didn't seek medical treatment. I'd think if your shirt has been torn and you got large scratches you'd need to get a rabies vaccine or tetanus shot. I hope she didn't decline it because she can't afford it. Reminded me of that one time I unexpectedly came across like 5 moose around Brainard Lake. And, I was really so close to them and I thought this is it. If they charge I am done. It's amazing how human brain works in situations like this...I think within few second I remembered most things I have ever read about them... like trying not draw their attention, watching their ears for possible aggression, trying to find a closest tree just in case they attack, hoping that the wind is not blowing their way so they sense me and get spooked. Man, wilderness is wild.

[Vision67]

Originally Posted by HatchChile

Gosh, that sounds pretty scary. I am glad she got away with just few scratches. But, I am still surprised that she didn't seek medical treatment. I'd think if your shirt has been torn and you got large scratches you'd need to get a rabies vaccine or tetanus shot. I hope she didn't decline it because she can't afford it. Reminded me of that one time I unexpectedly came across like 5 moose around Brainard Lake. And, I was really so close to them and I thought this is it. If they charge I am done. It's amazing how human brain works in situations like this...I think within few second I remembered most things I have ever read about them... like trying not draw their attention, watching their ears for possible aggression, trying to find a closest tree just in case they attack, hoping that the wind is not blowing their way so they sense me and get spooked. Man, wilderness is wild.

People without insurance or with high deductibles don't want to deal with a medical charge that could be $1K.

So many of them refuse care.

[HatchChile]

Originally Posted by Vision67

People without insurance or with high deductibles don't want to deal with a medical charge that could be $1K.

So many of them refuse care.

Yes, that was my first thought as well. It just sucks because she says she was coming back from work at 11:30pm. What I mean is she is working terrible hours and still can't afford health insurance. It's like that lady who got attacked by a mountain leopard (or was it a bear?), and when asked what was the worst part of the journey, she without hesitation said dealing with the medical insurance company. Welcome to late stage capitalism, what would you like to order? You probably can't afford it, btw.

[StarrySkiesAbove]

Originally Posted by HatchChile

Yes, that was my first thought as well. It just sucks because she says she was coming back from work at 11:30pm. What I mean is she is working terrible hours and still can't afford health insurance. It's like that lady who got attacked by a mountain leopard (or was it a bear?), and when asked what was the worst part of the journey, she without hesitation said dealing with the medical insurance company. Welcome to late stage capitalism, what would you like to order? You probably can't afford it, btw.

I happen to know this family, she was looked at by EMTs and they cleaned her scratches, the wounds were fortunately superficial and don’t require further medical care, just keeping them clean. Miraculously the scrapes on her knees from where she fell down were worse than the bear scratch.

It’s not an insurance issue, she is 18 and just graduated, she is covered under her parents insurance, her dad works for the public schools as an educator. She still lives at home with her parents and will be starting college classes in the fall (depending on what happens with Covid) She was walking home to her parents house from her summer job at a local restaurant when this happened.

Not to disagree that some people can’t or don’t seek medical treatment because of insurance costs; I just wanted to clear up speculation on this particular incident.

[mtngigi]

I sit on my porch at night and observe people out very late, walking, riding bikes and heaven help me, jogging. All this on a street that is rife with wildlife and not very well-lit. The runners especially seem to be clueless to the fact that running is an invitation to be chased by a bear or mountain lion.

That mama bear was just protecting her cubs ... people need to be more aware of their surroundings and take care, look around, stay alert, carry a flashlight, etc. ... especially when out and about that late at night.