Wildlife officials searching for bear that bit camper relaxing in hammock

TRINIDAD, Colo. — Wildlife officials in Colorado are searching for a black bear that bit a man who was relaxing in a hammock at a campground on Saturday.

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In a news release, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said that the attack occurred shortly after 10 p.m. MDT in the Purgatoire River bottoms east of Interstate 25 in Trinidad.

The victim, whose name has not been released, told authorities that he was in the hammock when he heard a rustling noise, The Denver Post reported. When the man turned on his headlamp, he said the bear was next to him.

The animal bit the man on his upper right arm before turning and walking away, according to the newspaper.

The man later told officials that he did not have any food or other items that might have attracted the bear, the Post reported.

The victim went to a motel before calling an ambulance, The Colorado Sun reported. Doctors at an area hospital treated the bite, which was between 2 inches and 3 inches long, wildlife officials said.

“Bear attacks are rare and we take them very seriously,” Mike Brown, CPW’s area wildlife manager for the region, said in a statement. “We are doing everything we can to locate this bear. And we continue to investigate the incident. Luckily, the victim’s injury appears to be relatively minor.”

According to the news release, any bear that attacks a human is classified as a dangerous bear and, if captured, must be humanely euthanized.

Two CPW officers set a trap for the bear near the campground and requested a team of dogs to hunt for the animal, the Sun reported.

According to the agency, Saturday’s attack was the third in the state this year, the Post reported.

In July, a bear attacked and severely injured a shepherd in a camp about 23 miles northeast of Durango, according to the newspaper. That bear was tracked down and killed.