On Monday, a bear assaulted a hotel security officer in the kitchen of a building in Aspen, Colorado, and the terrifying event was caught on CCTV tape.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the guard was on duty and checking allegations of a bear within the St. Regis Aspen Resort when he was assaulted while trying to surprise the animal.
According to a news statement from Parks and Wildlife, he was taken to a local hospital, where he received treatment for his back injuries and was later discharged the following morning.
According to the agency, wildlife agents located the bear early Wednesday morning, trapped it, and then killed it. After officers removed it from the tree using the fire truck's ladder, they used a tranquilizer rifle to render it unconscious.
"Using the footage provided by the hotel, we were able to confirm the aggressive behavior of the bear and identify unique physical characteristics of the bear that assisted in the proper identification of the offending bear," Area Wildlife Manager Matt Yamashita stated in a press statement.
Officers stated the bear was able to enter the hotel through many doorways leading to the courtyard. According to the press release, officials tracked down the bear by using unique identifiers.
Although the bear was located close to the hotel, authorities were unable to securely tranquilize and capture it.
Bears are still active as they get ready for hibernation, and this occurrence serves as an awful reminder of that, Colorado Parks and Wildlife stated. Everyone should always be "bear aware" and mindful of the need to allow wildlife their space.
The Aspen region is home to a steady population of bears, according to the department's estimates of 17,000 to 20,000 bears.