ASPEN | State wildlife officials have euthanized a bear after the animal found its way inside a restaurant atop Aspen Mountain and was shot by an employee.
The Aspen Times reports (https://bit.ly/29KEYmP ) the Sundeck restaurant employee shot the 70-pound animal Saturday with a shotgun and a pistol. Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman Jeff Hanle says employees had tried unsuccessfully to scare the bear away before lethal means were used.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers had found the yearling under the deck of the restaurant suffering from the gunshot wounds and then killed it.
The agency’s Perry Will says the bear had made several visits to the restaurant in weeks leading up to Saturday’s shooting. In one of those instances, Will says the bear charged at a chef.
The shooting remains under investigation.
