UPDATE: Officials said Monday they have killed a bear believed to be the one that attacked a camper. Get the latest details here.
BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. -- Parks and wildlife officials are looking for a dangerous bear that attacked a Christian camp staffer and dragged him roughly ten feet from his campsite in Boulder County early Sunday morning.
The attack happened around 4 a.m. at Glacier View Ranch, a Christian camp site located northwest of Boulder in the Town of Ward.
Officials told Denver7 the 19-year-old staffer, named Dylan, woke up to the bear biting his head and trying to drag him away. Fellow staffers tried to scare the bear away to save the teen's life. The animal eventually left on its own.
"The crunching noise, I guess, was the teeth scraping against the skull as it dug in," Dylan told Denver7's Amanda del Castillo.
Dylan said he and four other staffers were in sleeping bags along the camp's lakefront.
"It grabbed me like this and pulled me. Then it bit the back of my head and drug me," he said, pointing to scars on his forehead.
Dylan said the bear dragged him ten to 12-feet away before he was able to free himself. "When it was dragging me, that was the slowest part. It felt like it went forever."
Wilderness Survival is something he is very familiar with, teaching the subject at camp.
"I'm not afraid of the bears. I'm not afraid of sleeping outside anymore. You just have to be aware and respect the animals," Dylan said.
Following the attack, Dylan was taken to a hospital and has already been released, according to Jennifer Churchill with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Dan Hansen, director for the Glacier View Ranch, told Denver7 the bear wandered into the main area of campus where several staff members were sleeping. "Unprovoked, the bear proceeded to attack one staff member," he said.
"Campers were not threatened or involved at any time," Hansen said in a press release obtained by Denver7.
Marks left by bear. Dylan tells us he teaches wilderness survival at #GlacierViewRanch camp-- clearly, no one more qualified! Story at 5p. pic.twitter.com/eDWCM323YX
— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaDTV) July 9, 2017
A summer camp program at Glacier View Ranch will continue through July 16, Hansen said in a statement, adding that staff is trained for contact, interaction and incidents with wildlife including moose, wild cats and bears.
But Park and Wildlife officials said that "the dangerous bear is still in the wild" and has not been caught by authorities. Officials are asking outdoor enthusiasts to be extra vigilant.
This most recent bear encounter comes after four bears were killed in the Durango area on Wednesday.
Two bears were shot by homeowners after the bears entered their homes and two were tracked by Wildlife Services and euthanized.
A fifth bear was caught in a bear trap north of Durango but will be released.
One of the two bears that were euthanized killed a llama in Cortez and the other one killed pigs and chickens in Pagosa Springs.
In the past week, Park and Wildlife officials have received more than 100 calls about bear sightings that qualify as conflict situations.
Joe Lewandowski, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, says his crew hates to euthanize bears, but human safety comes first.
STAYING SAFE IN COLORADO BEAR COUNTRY
Colorado black bears are active this time of year, and while they are not naturally aggressive, wildlife officials say people venturing into bear country need to know what to do if they encounter one.
The National Park Service offers the following tips to stay safe around bears in Colorado’s high country:
What Should I Do if I See a Bear?
Each bear and each experience is unique; there is no single strategy that will work in all situations and that guarantees safety. Most bear encounters end without injury. Following some basic guidelines may help to lessen the threat of danger. Your safety can depend on your ability to calm the bear.
Avoiding an Encounter
Keeping your distance and not surprising bears are some of the most important things you can do. Most bears will avoid humans if they hear them coming. Pay attention to your surroundings and make a special effort to be noticeable if you are in an area with known bear activity or a good food source, such as berry bushes.
Bear Encounters
Once a bear has noticed you and is paying attention to you, additional strategies can help prevent the situation from escalating.
- Identify yourself by talking calmly so the bear knows you are a human and not a prey animal. Remain still; stand your ground but slowly wave your arms. Help the bear recognize you as a human. It may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. A standing bear is usually curious, not threatening.
- Stay calm and remember that most bears do not want to attack you; they usually just want to be left alone. Bears may bluff their way out of an encounter by charging and then turning away at the last second. Bears may also react defensively by woo?ng, yawning, salivating, growling, snapping their jaws, and laying their ears back. Continue to talk to the bear in low tones; this will help you stay calmer, and it won't be threatening to the bear. A scream or sudden movement may trigger an attack. Never imitate bear sounds or make a high-pitched squeal.
- Pick up small children immediately.
- Hike and travel in groups. Groups of people are usually noisier and smellier than a single person. Therefore, bears often become aware of groups of people at greater distances, and because of their cumulative size, groups are also intimidating to bears.
- Make yourselves look as large as possible (for example, move to higher ground).
- Do NOT allow the bear access to your food. Getting your food will only encourage the bear and make the problem worse for others.
- Do NOT drop your pack as it can provide protection for your back and prevent a bear from accessing your food.
- If the bear is stationary, move away slowly and sideways; this allows you to keep an eye on the bear and avoid tripping. Moving sideways is also non-threatening to bears. Do NOT run, but if the bear follows, stop and hold your ground. Bears can run as fast as a racehorse both uphill and down. Like dogs, they will chase ?eeing animals. Do NOT climb a tree. Both grizzlies and black bears can climb trees.
- Leave the area or take a detour. If this is impossible, wait until the bear moves away. Always leave the bear an escape route.
- Be especially cautious if you see a female with cubs; never place yourself between a mother and her cub, and never attempt to approach them. The chances of an attack escalate greatly if she perceives you as a danger to her cubs.
Bear Attacks
Bear attacks are rare; most bears are only interested in protecting food, cubs, or their space. However, being mentally prepared can help you have the most effective reaction. Every situation is different, but below are guidelines on how brown bear attacks can differ from black bear attacks. Help protect others by reporting all bear incidents to a park ranger immediately. Above all, keep your distance from bears!
- Brown/Grizzly Bears: If you are attacked by a brown/grizzly bear, leave your pack on and PLAY DEAD. Lay ?at on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck. Spread your legs to make it harder for the bear to turn you over. Remain still until the bear leaves the area. Fighting back usually increases the intensity of such attacks. However, if the attack persists, fight back vigorously. Use whatever you have at hand to hit the bear in the face.
- Black Bears: If you are attacked by a black bear, DO NOT PLAY DEAD. Try to escape to a secure place such as a car or building. If escape is not possible, try to ?ght back using any object available. Concentrate your kicks and blows on the bear's face and muzzle.
If any bear attacks you in your tent, or stalks you and then attacks, do NOT play dead—?ght back! This kind of attack is very rare, but can be serious because it often means the bear is looking for food and sees you as prey.
Bear Pepper Spray
Bear pepper spray can be an important thing to carry when exploring the back country. It is used defensively to stop an aggressive, charging, or attacking bear. Although it’s used in the same manner you would use mace on an attacking person, bear pepper spray and human pepper spray are not the same. Make sure you select an EPA approved product that is specifically designed to stop aggressive bears. It is not a repellent so do not apply to your body or equipment.
“Fighting back is the right thing to," said Churchill. "If you’re attacked by an animal in Colorado you should fight back; that includes lions, that includes bears. Moose you need to get away from. So Moose, you wouldn't fight a moose, you want to get out of the area."