In a startling turn of events in Lake City, Colorado, a 74-year-old man found himself in a life-threatening situation when four black bears broke into his home. It was around 8:30 PM on October 3rd when he and his wife were jolted by a loud crash. The commotion was caused by a black bear and her three cubs smashing through their sliding glass door.
Caught off guard, the husband grabbed a chair from the kitchen, hoping to scare the bear family away. Sadly, he was no match for the mother bear, who violently hurled him against the wall, leaving him with injuries to his head, neck, arms, abdomen, shoulders, and calves. In a desperate bid for safety, the couple managed to lock themselves in their bedroom.
When law enforcement arrived, they found that the mother bear had already left the scene, but her three cubs were still inside. Officers managed to coax the bears out of the house without further incident.
Remarkably, despite his injuries, the husband refused to go to the hospital and opted for care right there at home. Lucas Martin, an officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, expressed his relief that the situation didn’t result in any fatalities.
Following the attack, wildlife officials located the mother bear and her cubs and made the difficult decision to euthanize them. Brandon Diamond, the regional wildlife manager, confirmed that all four bears were involved in the incident.
He explained that as environments change, encounters with black bears in residential areas are becoming more frequent, which increases the chances of dangerous interactions. Unfortunately, the cubs learn these behaviors from their mother, heightening the risk of confrontations with humans.
State officials noted that bear sightings are not uncommon in and around Lake City. This year, the Parks and Wildlife management agency has received eight reports of black bear activity in the area, which is relatively low compared to previous years.
While bear attacks are rare, they do happen. Since the 2000s, there have been 46 bear attack incidents in North America resulting in 48 fatalities, 27 of which occurred in the United States.
Experts recommend that in the event of a grizzly or brown bear attack, playing dead may be an appropriate response. However, if confronted by a black bear, the advice is to fight back with all your strength and not to play dead.
