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Bear Rescued From Culvert In Steamboat Springs

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers rescued a bear stuck in a culvert on a property in Steamboat Springs Tuesday morning.

bear in culvert
(credit: Kevin Deshazer)

"[A plumber] put in a waterline at a property in Priest Creek Ranch in Steamboat last week and covered it with a culvert and a bear got into the culvert," Shannon Lukens with Steamboat Radio told CBS4.

The plumber, Kevin Deshazer, went back on Tuesday morning and found the bear stuck inside it.

You can hear a man call down to the bear -- and the bear jumps up toward him.

"Good boy," the man says. "Good boy."

CPW Wildlife Officer Kyle Bond arrived and tranquilized the bear.

bear 2 kyle tranq
(credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

Then Bond climbed down into the culvert with the bear -- and secured it with a tow strap.

bear in culvert cpw
(credit: Cregan Ortner)
Steamboat bear in culvert 5 from CPW
(credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

Using a tractor, the bear was lifted from the hole.

bear in culvert cpw 2
(credit: Cregan Ortner)
bear in culvert cpw 3
(credit: Cregan Ortner)

CPW officials say it's a male and weighs 250-275 pounds.

Steamboat bear in culvert 3 from CPW
(credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

It was placed in a bear trap and CPW plans to relocate it to northern Routt County Tuesday afternoon.

Steamboat bear in culvert 4 from CPW
(credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

Watch a full video of the rescue, courtesy of Kevin Deshazer and Cregan Ortner, and edited by Shannon Lukens, below.

Bear Culvert Rescue in Steamboat by Shannon Lukens on YouTube
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