Jun 6, 2006 10:34 pm US/Mountain
Wildlife Officers Look For Aggressive Bear In Vail
by Andrea Lopez
VAIL, Colo. (CBS4) ―
Wildlife officers said they have no choice but to trap and destroy an aggressive bear who has been spotted in neighborhoods in West Vail on a daily basis.
The female bear and her cubs have stirred up some fear in the residential areas.
"Bears get into houses, some through open windows," said Bill Andree with the Division of Wildlife. "One's been forcing windows and doors open to get in."
Officers set up traps and decided to destroy the bear because of her aggressive nature. They fear she could attack a person.
"It's going inside houses in the middle of the day with people inside, it's walking into yards with a half dozen people working in the yard," Andree said. "It's not our desire to put the bear down. We've done everything we can to educate people."
Paul Massey, who cares for homes in Vail, said he often sees the bears.
"So, we make sure we come and clean the properties that we manage," Massey said. "Not only do we make sure the trash and the doors are all secure, we make sure the grills are clean and that the bird feeders are in … because that's what's attracting bears."
Wildlife officers said the decision has brought some harsh words and criticism, but they hope in the end, that people will be more responsible by not attracting bears.
Wildlife authorities plan to trap the cubs as well. If the cubs haven't learned to break into homes, they said they would try to rehabilitate them and send them to a new location.
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