Bears have been out and about in Colorado this year, as dry conditions in mountainous terrain have pushed the species closer to civilization in search of food. While annual numbers related to bear-human conflicts and encounters haven’t been released yet, it’s believed that this year will bring a spike.

A recent human-bear encounter that took place in Castle Rock resulted in a bear’s death, with CBS News reporting that wildlife officials weren’t the first ones to fire a shot.

Per the CBS report, the mother bear that wasn’t initially shot by Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff orphaned two cubs with her death. The cubs were recovered and taken to a rehabilitation center for further care. 9News reports that the bear was shot on July 9.

The CBS report gets into how the bear that was killed was reportedly ‘kind of the neighborhood mama bear’ in the eyes of local residents, frequently seen and photographed.

Residents have requested more information about what happened that led to the bear’s death. Details related to who shot the bear and whether or not the killing was considered justified have not been released.

Legally shooting a bear in Colorado requires gaining one of the limited bear licenses that are offered as part of the state’s hunting program unless the bear is posing an imminent threat to human life or livestock or a significant threat to property.

Read more about the situation from CBS News here.

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