A security guard was injured in a surprise attack at an Aspenresort after a bear found its way into the hotel’s kitchen.
The male security guard received a report on Monday around 11pm that there was a bear somewhere in the hotel, so he went to investigate, Colorado Parks & Wildlife said in a statement on Tuesday.
When he got to the kitchen, he startled the bear as he went around a corner into another area of the kitchen.
The bear then attacked the guard by swiping at him and knocking him down to the ground.
The guard luckily got away and called 911 after sustaining injuries to his back.
The Aspen Police Department arrived at the scene, and he was transported to hospital, where he received treatment for the scratches on his back and was released the next day.
CPW wildlife officers arrived at the scene just after midnight to try to find the bear and found out how the wild animal got into the hotel.
They believe that the bear managed to break in through a series of doors near the courtyard.
They also got a description of the bear from witnesses and specific identification markers to locate the bear.
CPW have told people around Aspen to be “bear aware"— (Colorado Parks and Wildlife)
By the next morning, the wildlife officers were able to locate the bear near the hotel, but they said that “due to public safety, they were unable to safely tranquilise and capture the bear.”
They followed up to say that their officers would return to the area on Tuesday evening to find the bear, although it is unclear if they have yet to capture the surprise attacker.
CPW issued a warning to people around Aspen to be “bear aware” as the bears are still active as they prepare to go into hibernation.
The officers warn that human-bear conflicts have been on the rise due to the increase of people taking to the Colorado countryside for camping and hiking trips.
There are an estimated 17,000 to 20,0000 black bears found in Colorado, which can weigh between 175-275 pounds depending on their gender, according to CPW.
While they are not naturally aggressive creatures, if they are intent on getting food, they can harm people who get in their way.
The CPW say that any bear they see become too comfortable around humans “have to be destroyed.”
