AN “AGGRESSIVE” bear responsible for attacking a security guard in the kitchen of a luxury resort has been captured and euthanized after a dayslong search, per ABC News.
Footage of the chance encounter was captured at the St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen, Colorado, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
ABCA bear attacked a security guard at a luxury ski resort in Colorado[/caption]
ABCThe bear wandered into the hotel through a series of doors near the courtyard[/caption]
After hearing of bear sightings in the hotel, the guard went to the kitchen when he accidentally “surprised” the bear, CPW said in a statement released Tuesday.
When faced with the security guard, the massive animal got up on its hind legs and pushed him to the ground.
Luckily, the security guard was able to get away relatively unscathed.
He immediately called 911 and was taken to a hospital where he received treatment for scratches on his back, and was later released.
Unfortunately, the bear had tougher consequences to face.
Wildlife officers tracked down the creature the following morning but were not able to trap and sedate it due to public safety concerns.
At 2am on Wednesday, they were finally able to corner the animal and “hazed the bear into a tree at the park,” as reported by ABC NEWS.
They immobilized the bear with a tranquilizer gun and removed it from the tree using an Aspen Fire ladder truck.
Wildlife workers then transported the male bear away from the area and humanely euthanized it, following CPW policy, the agency said
The animal’s body was then taken to the CPW Wildlife Health Lab in Fort Collins for a full autopsy.
“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,” Matt Yamashita, CPW area wildlife manager, said in a statement to the community.
Later officers investigating the incident discovered that the bear had gotten into the hotel through a series of doors near the courtyard, according to CPW, per ABC News.
“While most human-bear conflict is the result of not taking proper precautionary measures, CPW staff noted the lack of food-related attractants and cleanliness of the kitchen,” CPW said.
The agency stressed the importance of bear safety.
“While it is common for people to see bears and other wildlife inside Aspen town limits, it is everyone’s responsibility to give wildlife space and remember the importance of being ‘bear aware’ at all times,” the CPW said in a statement.
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