ASPEN, Colo — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said a bear that attacked a resident inside a Pitkin County home early Friday morning has been euthanized.
A CPW spokesperson said dogs were able to quickly pick up the bear's scent and track it down, and that it was captured and euthanized later Friday.
He said they were "fairly certain" it was the right bear based on the hounds' tracking.
The attack took place around 1:30 a.m. in the Castle Creek neighborhood of Aspen, according to CPW.
>Video Above: A bear found sitting on a couch inside Colorado Springs home in June was euthanized.
The homeowner responded to noises in the house and discovered a large bear had entered through the front door, according to CPW. The bear attacked the victim with a paw swipe that caused severe lacerations to the head and neck.
The victim was taken to the hospital and was still undergoing surgery Friday morning, but CPW said the injuries are not currently life-threatening.
The bear suspected in the attack matches the description of a bear frequenting the Castle Creek neighborhood for several days, and could be the same bear reported getting into trash over the past few years, CPW said.
Past attempts by CPW to haze or capture the bear have been unsuccessful.
This is the first bear attack reported in Aspen, and CPW said wildlife officers responded to three bear-human attacks in the area in 2019.
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