Lessons learned from the bear attack on Colorado Springs woman

While being slammed by critics for killing a bear in Colorado Springs this last week, the DOW has given explicit instruction on how to keep bear encounters to a minimum.  Photo: Onetoomanyhobbies.com

Last Friday, reports of a bear attacking a pregnant woman in Colorado Springs had everyone's attention. The victim is safe. The bear is dead. What lessons can be learned from the fiasco?

According to the Denver Post, Ashley Swendsen was walking on a hiking trail in Colorado Springs and suddenly found a bear on the trail directly behind her. She promptly started running and ended up in the middle of the road where she was side-swiped by a passing car. Shortly after the incident, the bear was found by Colorado Division of Wildlife officers and euthanized, an action that many Springs residents feel was unwarranted and uncalled for.

"It was totally stupid to kill this bear. Shame on those who did this," says Richard Gamuac in a letter in The Gazette that decries the actions of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Gamuac points out that the bear may have had cubs that are now starving without needed food from their mother. He goes on to say, "I hope this has caused the DOW to think, to realize how shameful it was to do what it did."

Despite those that are angered by the actions of the DOW, there is another faction that feels the euthanizing of the bear was necessary for public safety. Like Gamuac, Rick Baucom also made his feelings known through a letter to the The Gazette. He writes that bears are wild and "wild animals are just that, wild," and when wild animals and humans mix, there are bound to be problems. Instead of blaming the DOW for the bears death, Baucom places the blame elsewhere. "I too am saddened that the bear was destroyed," he says. "But I do not blame the DOW, I blame the the irresponsible residents of the home range of the bear."

Whether or not this particular bear should have been killed will never be known. It is dead now. One things is for sure; when animals become accustomed to humans, there are often conflicts. One of the best ways to avoid this to to make sure that animals remain wild.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has put together an online resource center that is specifically geared toward this subject called "Living with bears in Colorado." It is a great resource giving information on how to live with bears but keep them from becoming too comfortable with humans, which is the cause of many bear encounters. If you live in bear country, it is worth it to take some time to check out the advice of the DOW, much of which revolves around not feeding the bears. In most cases, food is the culprit in a bear encounter.

The DOW does not enjoy euthanizing bears any more than its critics, but explains, "Bears that become aggressive in pursuit of an easy meal, must often be destroyed." However, they go on to say, "Every time we destroy a bear, it's not just the bear that loses. We all lose a little piece of the wilderness that makes Colorado so special."