Curious Baby Bear Breaks Into Colorado School Cafeteria Searching for Food Before Hibernation
A baby bear broke into an Aspen middle school in search of food—see how it was safely relocated
You never know what surprises a day might bring, but the staff at Aspen Middle School in Colorado certainly didn’t expect to find a black bear cub in their cafeteria. On Monday, September 23, staff arrived at the school early to find a baby cub roaming through the cafeteria, having broken in the day before with its mom and another cub in search of a meal. Keep reading to find out what happened to the little bear and how teachers handled the situation.
Teachers and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife authorities dealt with the bear cub
Many people have cited interacting with a mother bear as a terrifying experience, and rightly so, but luckily teachers were only met with the little cub come Monday morning. The mother and other cub left the day prior, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife(CPW), simplifying the wildlife situation.
Students and staff were taken to the local high school until
the situation was dealt with. CPW, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office and the Aspen Police Department were called to contain and remove the cub, before the school day could resume.
How did CPW and the Sheriff’s Department handle the situation?
The Pitkin Sheriff’s Department released a photo on their Instagram, which explained the situation and how it was handled.
“While some kids are tough to get out of bed and going on Monday mornings, that was not the case for this little bear,” the post read. “Sometime early Monday morning, a small black bear cub found its way into the A
spen School District Middle School and ended up sniffing its way into the school’s cafeteria.”
The situation was dealt with in a timely manner, an email updating the parents by 8 a.m. and regular activities resuming by 9:30 p.m.
The post continued, stating, “All students were sent to other buildings on campus while deputies and officers from the Sheriff’s Office, Aspen Police Department, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife helped remove the little cub from the school.”
CPW contained the cub and relocated her to an area with a good food source, far from people.“After evaluating the cub, wildlife officers determined she was healthy and could survive on her own and relocated her outside of town limits,” Rachael Gonzales, spokesperson for the CPW, shared.
A warning from police and how to stay safe against bears
In addition to detailing the bear encounter, the Sheriff’s department shared safety tips for residents living in bear country.
“Please remember to secure all doors and windows overnight or when you are not home, as local bears are in the midst of preparing for their upcoming winter hibernation,” the post shared. Keeping doors locked is an important step, as it is clear one of the school doors was unlocked.
Bears are on the hunt for as much food as possible right now, as they are preparing for hibernation. A media release from the CPW explained that black bears will search for and eat as much food as they can for up to 20 hours a day, something they do to prepare themselves and gain weight for winter.
“In the coming months, it is critical that people are vigilant and proactive removing all attractants from outside homes and campsites in order to prevent conflicts and encounters with black bears.”
Remember, if you encounter a black bear, or any bear, do not make a scene. Here are some things you can do to stay safe if you’re in the presence of one.
- Talk calmly so the bear knows you are a human and not prey
- Stay calm: most bears just want to be left alone
- Make yourself look bigger: move to higher ground
DO NOT run, drop anything in its presence, or make any loud noises. Stay safe this bear season.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. First For Women does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
