A overnight bear attack in Aspen left a home owner hospitalized with severe lacerations to the face and neck.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife are searching for a large black bear after it attacked a resident in Aspen overnight. In a press release Colorado Parks and Wildlife say that the resident heard a sound inside the home in the middle of the night and went to check it out. The sound was a "large" black bear that had let himself in the front door.

The bear attacked the homeowner with a paw swipe, which resulted in severe lacerations to the victim’s head and neck.The victim was transported to the hospital and is undergoing surgery. The victim is stable and the injuries are not life threatening at this point. 

 

Authorities say the bear matches the description of a bear that has been seen rummaging through trash in the Castle Creek neighborhood for several days.

This is the first bear attack this year in the Aspen area. Last year the same area saw three bear attacks, including one where a black bear bit the leg of a restaurant manger near the garbage can behind the eatery.

 

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