Bear Attacks Family of 4 Camping in Colorado

Chris Jasurek
6/12/2018
Updated:
6/12/2018

A bear attacked a family of campers in Larimer County, Colorado, injuring one person but not severely.

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 11 p.m. on June 5 to a campsite off County Road 67J in the Red Feather Lakes region.

They found that a family of four had been camping in a tent in a wilderness area when a bear trampled the tent.

One man was hospitalized. According to Fox News, his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Wildlife officials said the bear was probably looking of food.

(grizly.com)
(grizly.com)

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), “Except for winter, bears spend their waking hours occupied with food intake. Black bears are omnivorous and are able to take advantage of a wide variety of food items.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are searching for the bear responsible for the incident. They plan to trap it a move it to a more remote locale.

(bearwithus.org)
(bearwithus.org)

According to CPW, bears will return to sites where they found food, so once a bear raids a campsite, that campsite could become a regular target.

CPW lists several steps campers can take to minimize the chance of bear encounters.
(njfishandwildlife.com)
(njfishandwildlife.com)

First CPW recommends storing all food and food containers, cooking utensils, pots and pans, pet food, and coolers have to be sealed and locked in a hard-sided vehicle.

They also recommend changing clothes after cooking, and storing the cooking clothes in a sealed container.

Allow grills to burn for a couple of minutes after cooking to burn off grease and to eliminate odors, CPW suggests. Also, clean the grill after each use.

(commons.wikimedia.org)
(commons.wikimedia.org)

CPW notes that bears have an excellent sense of smell. Therefore campers should not bring food, cosmetics, or other toiletries into your tent or pop-up camper. Any sweet-scented product, even soap or deodorant, could attract a bear.

Watch Next: