A bear that had been previously relocated out of Boulder in 2015 was euthanized Tuesday after it had returned to Boulder and was aggressive toward wildlife officers.
In a release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, officials said the male bear was relocated out of east Boulder back in 2015 and given an ear tag.
On Tuesday, residents called wildlife officers after the bear was seen back in north Boulder near Oak Avenue. When officers with parks and wildlife and Boulder open space rangers arrived, the bear started to charge them and then stopped.
The bear eventually made its way up a tree and was tranquilized because of its aggressive nature and its location in the city. It was then later euthanized because it had already been previously tagged and had a history of aggressive behavior.
“The city of Boulder is not a good place for bears to live and forage,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager Kristin Cannon said in a statement. “CPW tries many different things to prevent bears from living in the city and a vast majority of the time these do not result in the death of a bear. Unfortunately, in this instance it did.
“We can’t predict what wildlife will do and if we think there is a greater chance a person may be hurt by a bear in town, we err on the side of human safety. Not everyone is going to agree that this is necessary, but we feel we have a responsibility to make these difficult choices.”
Wildlife officials believe this same bear also bluff charged at a man on Hapgood Street in Boulder in June, in 2017 on Norwood Avenue in Boulder, and again in 2016 in Ward.
This is the first bear to be killed in Boulder County this year.
Officials estimate the bear was 8 to 10 years old and weighed 243 pounds. An examination of the bear’s stomach contents revealed trash, and there were no normal forage items.
“As the fruit is not ripe yet, the most likely and available food source in the city is garbage and other human-related food,” Cannon said in the statement. “People can help save these bears by removing any food attractants for these bears in the city and by also hazing a bear away should they see one so that these bears do not feel comfortable living in your backyard.”
