San Juan National Forest in Colorado.Photo:Getty
Getty
A sheep herder was “severely injured” in an early morning bear attack in southwestern Colorado, authorities said.
The 35-year-old victim, who worked for a permit holder of a sheep grazing allotment at the forest, fired a .30-30 caliber rifle at the bear before it attacked him, according to the department.
The man, who sustained bite wounds to his head, arm and hip area, was able to crawl back into his tent and contact a family member for help, per Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
He was airlifted to Mercy Regional Medical Center for initial treatment before being flown to Grand Junction. His condition was not immediately known as of Thursday.
At the hospital, CPW said it was able to collect DNA samples from the victim.
“This is an unfortunate incident and we are thankful the victim was able to contact help to get emergency services deployed and that he was able to be extracted to receive necessary medical care,” CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta said.
CPW said it also discovered two sheep had been killed with injuries consistent with a bear attack. The agency’s officers then began to search the area for a bear, along with a team of dogs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
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The officers began pursuing the bear after detecting the scent of the animal suspected of being involved in the attack. Just before 11 p.m., the bear — later determined to be an 8-year-old male weighing about 250 lbs. — was shot and killed, per the agency’s policy of euthanasia involving human attacks.
“This is a difficult part of the job,” Archuleta said. “But when it comes to injuries to humans as a result of a predator attack, human health and safety is our top priority.”
The agency said the incident marks the first reported bear attack in Colorado this year. Last year,data from the agencyshowed that there were 4,000 bear reports and 2,400 sightings in Colorado.
source: people.com
