Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) trapped and euthanized a bear on Friday after it reportedly entered a Colorado Springs home on three separate occasions over the last week.

According to a news release from CPW, the bear walked through an open door into a home in the Broadmoor neighborhood last Sunday. The home is located near a wooded area known to be “prime bear habitat”, officials said.

“The homeowner found muddy paw prints in the house and closed the door. Before he had left the area the bear had opened the door and was back inside the house. The bear was reluctant to leave their kitchen. Only after yelling and banging pots and pans did the bear retreat and leave the home,” the release said.

The same bear, which was estimated to be between 225 and 250 pounds, entered the home again on Monday.

CPW set up a trail camera and were able to determine that the bear returned to the home each night at around the same time. On Friday, the bear got caught in CPW’s trap.

“It’s extremely fortunate no one was injured by this bear when it confronted the homeowners in the kitchen,” said Tim Kroening, CPW’s Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region. “This bear had become habituated to people, associating them as a food source. This created a dangerous situation when the bear was confronted in a confined space in the home. Our policy dictates that any bear inside an occupied home is a dangerous bear and must be euthanized.”

According to Kroening, bears are typically afraid of humans, so when they show this level of disregard for them they cannot be released to another area.

“Imagine encountering a bear in your kitchen. If there is no clear exit available, a tragic confrontation could occur. We can’t risk that happening. Colorado has become so densely populated that it is difficult to find a place to take a bear so that it won’t encounter human homes,” Kroening said.

An investigation into this incident is ongoing, but CPW has determined that one of the homeowners has been feeding big game. They were cited for attracting big game to their property. They were also warned for luring bears.

“Feeding bears and other wildlife is illegal for a reason. It habituates wildlife including bears to people which leads to dangerous situations,” he said.

CPW estimates that there are around 17,000-20,000 bears in Colorado, and data suggests that the population is stable and growing.

You can do your part to minimize bear-human conflict by keeping possible attractants secure and hazing bears when they get near your home.

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