A bear was found trapped inside a storm drain in west Colorado Springs on July 26, according to local media. Wildlife officials had to get a little creative to set the creature free.
This bear has managed to get into a storm sewer in #ColoradoSprings. @COParksWildlife officer is on the scene. #wildlife pic.twitter.com/nGffS48Fbf
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) July 26, 2018
Video showed the 3- or 4-year-old black bear sitting inside the drain and looking outside through the opening at the curb. It seemed as though the bear may have been hiding from the rain.
However, officials said the bear must have slipped into the storm drain while it was looking for food.
An employee of @CSUtilities pop the sewer hole and the waiting began with @COParksWildlife officers standing by with nonlethal rubber slugs in a shotgun. pic.twitter.com/XGH68W8y6l
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) July 26, 2018
Officials from Colorado Park and Wildlife removed the lid from a nearby manhole and waited a few minutes to see if the bear would get out of the drain by itself. The bear first stuck out its head and looked around, then it pulled itself out of the manhole.
About 6 minutes after the manhole cover was removed, out came the bear, estimated to be 3 to 4 years old and about 250 lb. An @COParksWildlife officer fired a non-lethal rubber slug at the bear as officers chased it into an open space behind this #ColoradoSprings neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/F4f6FEcFI9
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) July 26, 2018
Once the bear was out, officials made loud noises and used rubber bullets to scare it away into the woods. Officials said bears were usually put down if they were found repeatedly in the neighborhood. But these alternative methods of scaring the bear away could save the bear’s life.
By hazing this bear with non-lethal rubber slugs, @COParksWildlife gave this bear an extra lease on life. If it had been handled and tagged, that would have counted as a strike against the bear. Next time it was handled, it would have had to be euthanized. pic.twitter.com/Om1z7AkHKl
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) July 26, 2018
Upon investigation, an open garbage container filled with branches with berries were found about 100 yards away. Officials believed this is the reason the bear showed up in the neighborhood.
Why did this bear pick this storm drain in this neighborhood? Within eyesight maybe a hundred yards away, @COParksWildlife officers found an open garbage receptacle filled with garbage and branches from a tree filled with berries. pic.twitter.com/L9aW3evFhU
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) July 26, 2018
