Man seriously injured in bear attack outside Steamboat Springs

A man was seriously injured Sunday night outside Steamboat Springs when a bear attacked him at his home garage, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported Monday.

About 11 p.m. Sunday, the man noticed his garage door was open. When we went to close the door, he discovered a sow and two cubs, according to a news release from CPW.

When the man tried to slowly back away, the sow attacked him. He had severe lacerations to his head and legs and underwent surgery, but the injuries are not believed to be life threatening. The man is in stable condition, according to CPW.

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Inside the garage, the homeowner had stored birdseed and other attractants, according to CPW.

Wildlife officers said they found the sow near the home and euthanized it. A necropsy is planned at CPW's Wildlife Health Lab.

The search is still on for the cubs, which will be trapped and moved to a rehabilitation facility if found.

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“This is an unfortunate reminder that we need to stay vigilant and ‘bear aware’ at all times,” said Kyle Bond, CPW district wildlife manager. “Easy access to food will always override a bear’s natural fear of people, so we humans have to stay on top of keeping all food sources secure.”

This is the first bear attack in the Steamboat Springs area this year.

Find more information about bearproofing your home at cpw.state.co.us.

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Rebecca Powell is a content strategist at the Coloradoan, working to connect our community with the answers they seek. Contact her at RebeccaPowell@coloradoan.com.We can't do the important work of keeping our community informed without you. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.