Durango teen injured by bear in bedroom as Colorado records record-breaking attack season

Key points

• A black bear entered a condo on Escalante Drive in Durango around 2 a.m. on Sunday, ripping a window screen and entering through a cracked window.
• The bear attacked a 17-year-old girl who was asleep, swiping her stomach after she made a noise; she suffered three scratch marks and bruising but was protected by blankets.
• The same bear entered another residence on Monday morning, and CPW is searching for it with the intent to capture and remove it due to health and safety risks.
• This is the 10th confirmed bear attack in Colorado this year, a record-breaking number, according to CPW.
• A separate incident occurred Friday at the Rio Grande National Forest Park Creek Campground, where a bear bit a woman through her tent, leading to the early closure of the campground.
• CPW attributes the surge in attacks to 'hyperphagia' (bears bulking up for winter) and a lack of natural food sources due to drought, pushing bears into human-populated areas.

Background

This incident follows a pattern of increasing bear-human conflicts in Colorado. In August, a Durango man shot a bear that attempted to break into his home, and another bear was euthanized in Durango earlier this month after being found to have ingested plastic garbage bags and cleaning wipes. The state has also passed legislation to make enforcement of bear-safe trash laws easier in response to the high level of bear activity. The archive articles provided are unrelated to this specific story and do not offer relevant background for this event.

How outlets are covering it

KOAT and CBS News provide detailed accounts of the Durango bedroom attack, focusing on the sequence of events and the injuries sustained by the teenager. Both outlets quote District Wildlife Manager Luke Clancy, emphasizing that the victim was lucky to have blankets covering her. The Durango Herald places the incident in a broader statewide context, highlighting the record-breaking number of attacks (10 this year) and linking it to drought-induced food shortages and a previous incident where a bear was shot in Durango. CBS News also reports on a separate, concurrent attack at a campground, providing a wider view of the regional wildlife issue. All sources agree on the core facts of the Durango incident but differ in emphasis: KOAT and CBS focus on the immediate event and response, while the Durango Herald contextualizes it within a larger trend of escalating bear conflicts in the state.

Why it matters

The Durango attack highlights the growing danger of human-wildlife conflict in Colorado, particularly as bears are pushed into urban areas due to environmental factors like drought. The record-breaking number of attacks this year underscores the need for effective wildlife management and public awareness. The incident also raises concerns about public safety and the effectiveness of current measures, such as bear-safe trash laws, in mitigating these conflicts. The response by CPW, including the search for and planned removal of the bear, indicates a proactive approach to addressing the immediate threat, but the broader trend suggests a need for long-term strategies to manage the increasing frequency of such incidents.

What to watch

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is actively searching for the bear involved in the Durango attack and plans to capture and remove it. The agency is urging residents to secure their homes, including locking garages, doors, and windows, and to remove any items that might attract bears, such as bird feeders and food. The campground where the other attack occurred has been closed early for the season. CPW will likely continue to monitor bear activity and enforce bear-safe practices in the coming weeks, especially as the hyperphagia season progresses and bears continue to seek food sources in human-populated areas.