LOS ANGELES, July 10 (Xinhua) -- A male black bear believed to have attacked a teenager was killed on Monday by Parks and Wildlife officials in the U.S. state of Colorado.
Spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife Jennifer Churchill confirmed that the bear was trapped early Monday morning in the same Glacier View camping area near Boulder County in Colorado where the attack took place.
The victim is a 19-year-old staff member at a youth camp. He came to see the bear after its capture and told the officials that it was exactly the one that had attacked him during his sleep, the Denver Post reported.
The teenager woke up at about 4 a.m.local time (1100 GMT) on Sunday to a crunching sound with his head inside the mouth of the bear who was dragging him out of the sleeping bag. He was lucky to survive the attack after trying his best to fight off the bear. Other people nearby also rush to his aid, yelling at the bear and forcing it out.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife warned in a statement on June 30 that bears often come close to people in summer, looking for sources of food in residential areas because traditional foods are not available as usual due to drought conditions.
Local officials used bloodhounds to search for the bear that was considered a real threat to nearby residents. Four bears were reportedly killed in one day in Colorado last Wednesday.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds people to beware of wild critters and to avoid conflicts with bears.
