DENVER (KDVR) A Boulder resident was attacked by a bear while walking his dogs on Saturday evening, according to a press release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Tuesday.

Saturday at about 11 p.m., the man was walking his two dogs along High Street when a mother bear, with her cub nearby, charged at them. In an attempt to flee the scene, he stumbled over the dog leashes, and the bear inflicted a scratch across his back.

Several CPW rangers responded to the incident, with the man telling them that his injuries were only superficial.

The rangers discovered an overturned trash can, but were unable to find the mother bear and her cubs during several hours of searching.

“Colorado Parks and Wildlife should be the first contact when bears are observed in urban areas,” stated Area Wildlife Manager Jason Duetsch. “Residents dealing with bear encounters should reach out to CPW for education, advice, and tracking of wildlife movement to inform better management decisions. As bears are preparing for winter, it’s crucial to be cautious with trash to ensure they don’t find unnatural food sources.”

After the attack, CPW advised residents to take extra care in securing trash, as bears are particularly active in seeking food during this time to get ready for hibernation.

A period that increases bear and human interaction even within city limits.

Bears can consume up to 20,000 calories in a day and often look to trash cans for food. CPW recommends using bear-resistant trash containers, keeping trash secured until collection day, locking garages, cars, and windows, and removing bird feeders.

The bears will return to the spots where they successfully find food, said CPW.

Effectively deterring bears may involve methods such as motion-sensitive lights, airhorns, car alarms, banging pots and pans, playing loud music, or shouting loudly at the bears.

Leslie Reed

“I mean I know the family and I feel really bad and I’m glad there wasn’t a worse injury because it certainly could have been.”