Bear cub sniffs its way into Aspen Middle School in hunt for food

DENVER (KDVR) – A black bear cub found its way into a middle school cafeteria in Aspen early Monday morning, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.

The small cub found its way into Aspen Middle School and sniffed its way into the cafeteria, the sheriff's office said.

Students had to be sent to other buildings on campus while deputies and officers from other agencies, including the Aspen Police Department and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, helped remove the cub.

Bear spotted multiple times in a Littleton neighborhood

The cub was eventually relocated and students were able to get back to normal activities by 9:30 a.m.

According to the Aspen School District, this incident turned into a learning opportunity where students at the middle school tried to figure out the size of the bear.

They did this based on security camera footage and the dimensions of the trash and recycling cans the bear overturned.

The sheriff's office also took the chance to remind people to secure all doors and windows overnight and when they're away.

This is because bears are currently preparing for hibernation.

Caught on camera: Bear sneaks up behind child in Aspen yard

CPW said during this time bears enter hyperphagia and begin feeding 22 hours a day. Adult bears need to consume 22,000 calories a day in order to survive the upcoming hibernation.

The agency said bears will work hard to get this food and can easily damage property in order to do so. CPW also said bears will remember where they found food in the past and come back for more.