WARD, Colo. (WHDH/AP) — A bear believed to be the one that attacked a Colorado camp staffer, biting him on the head, has been trapped and killed by wildlife officers.
The bear was trapped at around 4:30 a.m. Monday at Glacier View Ranch where the 19-year-old was attacked as he slept outside. The attack happened at about the same time the day before at the camp 48 miles (77 kilometers) northwest of Denver.
“I woke up to a crunching sound,” the teenager said. “I thought it was a dream.”
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The camper soon realized that it was a bear that had sunk its teeth into his skull.
“I grabbed a hold of the bear by its ear and was poking its eye. It let go of me and I was able to get away,” he said.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill says the teen saw the captured bear and also believed it was the same one.
Black bears aren’t usually aggressive but have attacked several people in the West in recent weeks.
Wildlife officials will use DNA to verify bear’s identity and look at whether it was sick or injured, which might explain its unusual behavior.
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