Another Bear Euthanized In Boulder, Wildlife Officials Upset With Residents
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - A second bear has been euthanized in Boulder Monday morning after it was found near Flatirons Elementary School.
Last week another bear prompted Flatirons Elementary School to be on lockdown. That bear was also put down.
The bear found on Monday was a 590-pound male bear. Jennifer Churchill with Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the bear had been tagged and moved to the Wyoming border 5 years ago but it came back within a month. There were multiple reports of people spotting the bear over the last 5 years.
When officials examined the bear's body they found its stomach was full of human food.
"He had two steaks still in their plastic wrappers, avocados, carrots, potatoes; all kinds of people food … and this is really the main problem." Churchill said.
A sow and two cubs are also still in the area. Churchill said if it still keeps finding trash the sow could be put down and the cubs might not survive on their own.
"We're getting pretty frustrated. We have to put down bears to protect public's safety, and the community won't take care of its trash to keep the bears from coming around," Churchill said. "It's a pretty rotten thing to have to put down bears just because people won't clean up their trash. Why would you want bears to keep eating trash? We're just kind of at the end of our rope with this."
The Boulder Police Code Enforcement Unit has issued 606 notices for violations of trash storage this year. The plan is for education and enforcement to push residents to change.
Additional Information From Colorado Parks and Wildlife
To learn more about bears in Boulder and how they are managed, go to: http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&id=14795&Itemid=1410
For more information on living with bears and what YOU can do help our wildlife, go to: http://www.cpw.state.co.us/bears
