A black bear was shot multiple times as it charged toward the homeowner when the animal was in the middle of its home invasion in Colorado, ultimately taking nine bullets before falling.
At around two in the morning, Ken Mauldin was awakened by screams from his wife at his Steamboat Springs home, where he was sleeping.
When his wife was yelling that a bear was in their home, Mauldin leaped out of bed.
Mauldin recalled grabbing a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun the moment he heard his wife and claimed that as soon as he saw the bear, he fired nine shots at it.
However, as it charged him, he continued to fire at the animal.
After backing up and turning around, it crashed through the couple’s banister railing, landed on the stairs, slid down, and eventually piled up at the bottom of the stairs.
He believed the bear entered after his door was left unlocked.
Mauldin claimed that the realization that it was a bear suddenly hit him, and his first thought was to defend his family by shooting the animal.
Black Bear Population in Colorado
In Colorado, there are supposedly 17,000 to 20,000 black bears.
Conflict and encounters with humans have become more frequent in recent years due to population growth.
Bears typically keep to themselves.
However, some bears become accustomed to eating human food and become bold when approaching houses and people.
A Colorado Parks and Wildlife official said that similar incidents have been happening more frequently in the area.
According to the official, bears do frequently enter homes. The wild creatures typically do this by entering through unlocked windows and doors, which appear to be on the rise in the Steamboat area this year.
If a bear enters a residence, the department advised the inhabitants to call them.
Bears are typically shy and solitary animals, so if a person makes a loud noise or appears to be bigger than a bear, the bear will usually retreat.
Read also: Man Survives Grizzly Attack in Wyoming
Man vs Bear
In the US, conflicts between humans and bears are frequently sparked by human food. A bear that has grown accustomed to eating human food might be considered a nuisance, as per the ABC News.
These food-conditioned bears have discovered that approaching homes and people can result in rewards, frequently taking the form of pet food or food scraps in the garbage, Newsweek reported.
According to the US National Park Service, black bears are omnivores, which means they consume both plants and animals, so they will consume almost anything.
They can climb trees to find food thanks to their curved claws, but they cannot dig, such as a brown bear.
Black bears are extremely intelligent and can distinguish food based on both appearance and smell.
After being fed human food, bears will start to associate food with campsites, bags, trash cans, and even cars. These food-conditioned bears are potentially dangerous.
NPS reminds locals to prevent letting bears access food or trash from homes or neighborhoods.
Related article: Bear Attack! Wisconsin Couple ‘Double Kills’ Massive Bear Who Entered Their Home
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