Bear attacks, injures man at apartment complex in Colorado mountain town

Katie Langford, The Denver Post on Aug 19, 2026

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DENVER — A female black bear attacked a man as he walked out of a laundry room at an apartment complex in the Colorado mountain community of EagleVail, state wildlife officials said.

The attack happened late Monday afternoon in the unincorporated community west of Vail in Eagle County when the man came across the bear and it swiped his arm. The man also tripped and injured his foot trying to escape, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said.

A family member took the man to a medical facility, where he was treated and released, according to Parks and Wildlife. State wildlife officers stayed in the area overnight Monday to capture the sow and her cubs but believe a larger male bear kept the mom and cubs away from the area. Parks and Wildlife set a bear trap in the neighborhood.

State officials had received recent reports of a sow and cubs foraging in dumpsters in the neighborhood, an agency leader said.

Parks and Wildlife has received almost double the number of reports of bear sightings and conflicts so far this year, with severe drought limiting natural food sources and pushing more bears into communities as they try to load up on calories for winter hibernation.

In the last week alone, Coloradans have reported a bear wandering the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, poking around a backyard in Centennial and strolling into a Breckenridge hotel lobby to munch on some chocolate.

To avoid bear encounters and conflicts, Parks and Wildlife officials say residents should secure food, recycling and garbage; remove bird feeders when bears are active; clean and store grills; never leave pet food outside; and never feed or approach bears.

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