NEW CASTLE, Colo. — Authorities from New Castle and Colorado Parks and Wildlife responded to a bear attack Wednesday morning in New Castle.
Just after 2 a.m. Wednesday, officers with the New Castle Police Department responded to the Castle Valley Ranch neighborhood off Castle Valley Boulevard after receiving a report that a woman had been attacked in her backyard.
According to police, once officers arrived at the scene, they found the woman, who had been swiped by a female bear. She had serious injuries to her arm, CPW said, and had been able to get back inside her home before calling 911. She was transported to a hospital, CPW said.
She also had scratches along her back.
Police said when they arrived, they found four bears — the sow and her three cubs — all in close proximity to the home. They notified CPW, which instructed police to shoot and kill the sow, which officers did.
Wildlife officers with CPW responded to the neighborhood around 3 a.m. Based on the information known at the time, CPW could not determine if the sow or a cub had attacked the woman, and they made the decision to euthanize the three cubs.
They found one and euthanized it. The two others were up a tree and CPW chose to wait to euthanize them.
During the investigation, CPW determined the sow was the only bear involved in the attack, so the two other cubs were tranquilized and sent to a rehabilitation facility.
The sow and cubs had been spotted in the area previously, but did not show any aggressive behavior, CPW said.
"We are deeply saddened by this incident and our hearts go out to the citizen that was attacked, as well as the bears involved," the police department said.
No other details were available as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
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