Two more bears killed in Colorado, including one that charged deputies as witnesses watched

Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. The drought-driven crisis of bears clashing with humans is escalating in scale and emotion, as law enforcement killed two bears, including one irreversibly ill from eating trash in Durango and a mother bear shot after charging an officer in front of dozens of people in Vail In Durango on Saturday, people reported a lethargic and groaning bear behind a home, and responding officers found a 300-pound male bear apparently bloated on trash. The bear was tranquilized and given a health exam. On top of the obvious physical distress of the bear, the animal matched the size and color of a bear that had broken into multiple nearby homes a month earlier. Homeowners had photos of that bear that Durango wildlife officers used to conclude the sick bear was the one that had broken into homes.

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