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Bear captured at Glenwood trailer park

Dennis Webb
Vail, CO Colorado
Kelley Cox/Post IndependentIn another bear incident in the Glenwood Springs, this 5-year-old was tranquilized by wildlife officers after it was found in an apple tree on Bobolink Lane.
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GLENWOOD SPRINGS ” A mother bear and her cub that had been feeding on garbage and were approached by children in River Meadows Mobile Home Park in Glenwood Springs were relocated Saturday.

The action comes a little more than a week after Colorado Division of Wildlife officers destroyed a bear that reportedly had been fed and even petted in west Glenwood Springs.

District wildlife manager Sonia Marzec said the agency received reports of kids at River Meadows chasing a cub and getting between it and its mom Thursday evening.



“That’s starting to create a safety issue. We don’t want to see that start happening,” she said.

Wildlife officers set a trap for the River Meadows bears Friday after several sightings at the park, the Red Mountain area and Veltus Park.

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They were able to tranquilize the sow while it was in a tree and catch it in a tarp, but the cub ran farther up the tree, Marzec said. Watched by “a park full of people,” officers placed the tranquilized mother in the trap below the cub in hopes it would come down to her, but ended up being able to get a good shot and fired a tranquilizer dart at it as well, she said.

She said the the sow and cub will be moved to “points west,” hoping the mother wouldn’t try to return, but instead teach the cub to live off natural food sources.

The sow is about 5, and the young cub weighs about 15 pounds, said Randy Hampton, a Division of Wildlife spokesman.

“The sow was throwing up plastic bags, plastic wraps, that kind of stuff, so we know she’s definitely been in the trash,” Hampton said.

The sow was fitted with a radio collar for research purposes, and tagged it, meaning if it causes further problems it will be destroyed. They agency didn’t issue a strike against the cub.

“At this point all it was doing was following Mom around,” Marzec said.


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