Colorado is experiencing an extraordinary rise in bear activity, and the latest incidents are a serious reminder for Boulder residents, hikers, students, and visitors to remain alert.
Four black bear attacks were reported across Colorado in approximately one week, including incidents in Eagle-Vail, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, and Jefferson County. The attacks occurred under different circumstances, but each came during a year in which bears are increasingly entering neighborhoods and developed areas in search of food.
The most recent attack involved an angler in his 60s near the North Fork Trail in Jefferson County. According to wildlife officials, a subadult female black bear knocked the man down and bit his legs before his companions frightened it away. The injured man was hospitalized, and the bear was subsequently located and euthanized under Colorado Parks and Wildlife policy…