A New Castle resident survived an early Sunday morning bear attack in his backyard, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are searching for the bear, who escaped after the resident shot at it.
The resident heard noises outside around 1 a.m. Sunday and went outside to investigate, and the bear knocked him to the ground, according to a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife. As the bear attacked the resident, the man pulled a gun and fired three shots, making the bear run away. The resident was unable to identify whether or not he hit the bear.
The man was taken to the hospital shortly after the attack to be treated for minor injures in his chest, arm and hand. He is now home recovering, CPW said in the release.
CPW employees will return to the area in Garfield County on Monday to search for the bear. It rained the night of the attack, which made it difficult for CPW officers to follow any possible trails the bear left behind, according to the news release. CPW is asking residents to contact Colorado State patrol if they see a dead or injured bear.
CPW officials did not say whether they will relocate or euthanize the bear.
This is the second bear attack in New Castle this year. The first one also took place in a backyard in August, where an adult bear and three cubs were in trees. One of the bears attacked a woman, who was outside to replace a cover on her hot tub. The sow and one cub were euthanized, while the remaining two cubs were sent to a rehabilitation facility.
Another bear was killed in July in Teller County after it wandered into a home in search for food. It was orphaned and rescued by CPW officers the year before after someone poached its mother.