Chip Chick
She sadly had already passed away by the time her boyfriend found her, and he quickly dialed 911 for help.
“CPW wildlife officers responded and observed signs of consumption on the body and an abundance of bear scat and hair at the scene,” Colorado Parks & Wildlife explained in a statement.
“La Plata County Sheriff’s deputies assisted in the investigation. CPW called in a dog team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to search the area,” they continued.
“The dog team quickly found a sow (female) black bear with two yearlings nearby. The bears were euthanized and are being taken to CPW’s Wildlife Health Lab in Fort Collins for a necropsy.”
“DNA evidence from the bears and the scene will be sent to Laramie for testing at the Wyoming Game and Fish Wildlife Forensic & Fish Health Laboratory.”
Wildlife officers did take a look at the bear’s teeth and determined she was approximately 10-years-old or more.
They also helped to collect evidence from the scene to confirm this poor woman truly was a victim of a bear attack.
Cory Chick, CPW Southwest Region manager said, “Bear attacks are extremely rare. This is a tragic event and a sad reminder that bears are wild and potentially dangerous.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, the bears were removed for public safety. We ask the public to report any encounter with an aggressive bear to CPW.”
In a second press release, Colorado Parks & Wildlife confirmed that the bears had “human remains” inside their stomachs, and the remains belonged to this 39-year-old woman.
They reiterated the reason the bears had been euthanized is that they had eaten the woman, which poses a risk of them doing it again.
