A 39-year-old Colorado woman was killed in an apparent bear attack while walking her two dogs, authorities said Saturday.
via: Complex
The woman’s boyfriend told police he arrived home around 8:30 pm and found the couple’s two dogs outside and his girlfriend missing. He searched a trail on private land where she frequently walked the dogs and notified authorities after discovering her body.
CPW called in a dog team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to search the area. The tracking dogs quickly found a sow (female) black bear with two yearlings nearby. The bears were euthanized and are being taken to CPW’s Wildlife Health Lab in Fort Collins for a necropsy, CPW reports.
The victim was found after her boyfriend discovered her missing Friday evening. Officers observed signs of consumption on the body and an abundance of bear scat and hair at the scene. A dog team from @USDA Wildlife Services quickly found a sow and two yearlings nearby.
— Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) May 1, 2021
CPW and @LaPlataCountyCO Sheriff's Office ask the public to avoid the area off U.S. Highway 550 near Trimble as the investigation of the scene continues.
For more on camping and hiking in bear country: https://t.co/8rd7PTKgf1
— Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) May 1, 2021
“Bear attacks are extremely rare,” said Cory Chick, CPW Southwest Region manager. “This is a tragic event and a sad reminder that bears are wild and potentially dangerous. Out of an abundance of caution, the bears were removed for public safety. We ask the public to report any encounter with an aggressive bear to CPW.”
According to CPW, Friday’s incident was just the fourth fatal bear attack in the state since 1960. The attack comes just two weeks after video footage captured a mountain biker narrowly escaping a bear attack in Montana.
The woman’s name was expected to be released by a local coroner, who is expected to perform an autopsy early next week.
