17-year-old girl asleep in room, woman in tent both attacked by bears in Colorado
Two new bear attacks are under investigation in Colorado after a bear went into a 17-year-old girl's room while she slept, and in a separate incident a bear attacked a woman in a tent, officials said.
The first incident unfolded early Friday morning when a black bear bit a woman on her arm while she was in a tent at the Rio Grande National Forest's Park Creek Campground, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.
She was treated at a hospital for a puncture wound, officials said.
The woman said the animal bit her from the outside of the tent, so she didn't see it, according to officials, but she did hear a growl.
The Rio Grande National Forest shut down the campground for the rest of the weekend and it officially closed for the season on Monday, CPW said.
The second harrowing black bear attack took place early Sunday morning, according to CPW.
A 17-year-old girl in Durango was asleep when a bear approached her bedroom window, which had been cracked open, CPW said. The bear ripped off the window screen, fully opened the window and came into the room, the agency said.
The girl said after she pulled up her blankets and hid, the bear swiped at her stomach, according to CPW.
The teen screamed and sat up, CPW said, and the bear then ran to the foot of her bed. The animal left through the window, but then immediately came back in her room.
The girl said the bear left for good when she stood up and began yelling, CPW said.
The teen suffered scratch marks and bruising, CPW said, adding that she was "very lucky she had multiple blankets covering her when the bear swiped her."
A record high of 10 bear attacks have been reported in Colorado this year, the agency said, citing drought conditions that are draining their food sources.
"We want residents to make sure they are closing and locking their doors and windows during this high human-bear conflict year in addition to securing all outside attractants," Adrian Archuleta of the CPW said in a statement.
