Black bears attack 2 women in Colorado just days apart, bringing yearly total to 10 as encounters surge
A black bear walks between two homes in a neighborhood. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Bear attacks are at an all-time high in Colorado as bears continue to seek food in residential areas across the state.
Two different women were attacked just two days apart on Friday in South Fork and Sunday in Durango, by a black bear.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said these two incidents bring the confirmed number of bear attacks on humans in the state to 10, the most on record.
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According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the first attack happened at 5:30 a.m. on Friday, when a black bear bit a woman's arm while she was inside a tent at Park Creek Campground.
The woman told CPW she felt something hit the tent before she was bitten. She said she couldn’t see the animal but said it was large and she heard a growl. EMS treated her injuries, and CPW later swabbed her arm during follow-up treatment.
At the campground, CPW discovered puncture marks consistent with a bear claw, and mud and dirt smeared on both sides of the tent wall.
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The agency said several dark hairs were also recovered at the scene.
A young black bear rummaging through a garbage bin just outside of the backdoor of the home in Simsbury, Connecticut June 27, 2025. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public / Getty Images)
All indications pointed to a bear being behind the attack. CPW determined there wasn't a continued public health threat after the attack.
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"The bite in this incident was more likely an act of surprise than aggression," Area Wildlife Manager Rick Basagoitia of the Monte Vista office said. "There is no history of conflict or damage. This location is isolated and now closed. The potential for threat is never zero, but it is significantly reduced in this situation."
The Rio Grande National Forest closed the campground for the rest of the weekend, and it closed for the rest of the year on Monday.
June 14, 2015: Black bear sniffing dumpster near Ice Box Canyon in Yellowstone National Park. (Yellowstone National Park/Jim Peaco / FOX Weather)
The second attack happened on Sunday, when a bear ripped off a window screen and pushed open a cracked window in a 17-year-old woman's bedroom at about 2 a.m.
CPW said the bear ripped down the curtains as it entered, waking the girl up.
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She told CPW that she pulled the blankets up and hid when she saw it was a bear that entered her room.
The bear reportedly then walked over to the bedside table and began to sniff her head under the blankets, CPW said.
A juvenile male black bear is seen in a backyard in the Oregon Hill Neighborhood in Richmond, Va., Thursday, May 14, 2026. The bear was tranquilized and will be released in one of the state's wildlife management areas 50 to 100 miles away. (Mike Krop
She then made a noise, and said the bear abruptly made a huffing sound and then quickly swiped at her as she lay under the covers. She said she felt the bear’s paw hit her stomach.
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After being hit, the woman screamed and sat up, CPW said, and the bear ran to the foot of her bed, pausing briefly before exiting her room through the window.
The girl said the bear immediately re-entered the room, so she stood up and screamed and yelled until it turned around and left again, for good this time.
She self-treated the scratch injuries to her stomach, and CPW responded. District wildlife managers noted bruising where was swiped, CPW said.
FILE: Black bear in Yellowstone. (NPS / FOX Weather)
"Based on what we know happened in this encounter, the woman is very lucky she had multiple blankets covering her when the bear swiped her," District Wildlife Manager Luke Clancy said.
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Saliva samples were collected from the window screen and a puncture mark on outdoor furniture that the bear had stepped on was noted, as well as claw marks on the curtains.
Bear scat was also collected outside the home.
A black bear sits in an oak tree at Lake Eola Park in the heart of downtown Orlando, Florida on Sunday morning, June 4, 2023. Orlando Police taped off the area and were awaiting officials to arrive from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Comm
In this case, a bear trap was set at the location. The next morning, a bear entered another residence nearby. CPW said officers intend to catch and remove the bear.
"This is a human health and safety issue that we take seriously," CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta of the Durango office said. "This bear has exhibited behavior that threatens human health and safety. It has shown that it is not afraid to enter homes multiple times now, and it is likely this behavior will continue. 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."
Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminded residents to keep trash secured at all times and lock doors, windows, garages and vehicles to discourage bear break-ins.
For more information on how to stay safe living in a state with bears, visit the CPW website.