There are as many as 20,000 black bears living in Colorado. The last fatal bear attack in Colorado happened in 2009.
The human remains of a woman were found in the bodies of two Colorado black bears who were also suspected of killing another 39-year-old woman in a rare fatal attack, according to wildlife authorities.
The remains were discovered inside of a 204-pound female bear during a necropsy, as well as in one of two young cubs that were with her, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife told The Colorado Sun.
The woman's name has not been released but her boyfriend told authorities that she went to take her dog for a walk on Friday morning. He found her body that evening when she didn't return home, the outlet reported.
“We cannot determine with exact certainty how or why this attack took place, but it is important for the public not to cast blame on this woman for the unfortunate and tragic event,” Cory Chick, CPW southwest region manager, said in a written statement.
Authorities found the bears and euthanized them out of caution for future attacks on humans, Chick said.
“Once a bear injures or consumes humans, we will not risk the chance that this could happen to someone else,” he said.
“We humanely euthanize that bear because of the severity of the incident. Bears will return to a food source over and over. A bear that loses its fear of humans is a dangerous animal. And this sow was teaching its yearlings that humans were a source of food, not something to fear and avoid.”
The last fatal bear attack in Colorado happened in 2009. A 74-year-old woman was killed and partially eaten at her home. Authorities learned that she had been feeding bears through a fence in her yard, the Sun reported.
