Trinidad man shoots at family of bears, killing two cubs

TRINIDAD, Colo. (KKTV) - On Friday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said a man was cited after shooting at a female bear and its' three cubs.

CPW said the bears were killing a man's chickens in Trinidad, so the man took out a firearm and shot at the family of bears, killing two of the cubs on Tuesday.

CPW officers arrived and captured the third cub alive. They tried to capture the female bear as well, but she escaped.

After a health check, CPW confirmed the cub, a 60-pound male, was healthy and ready to be released back into the wild.

"With excellent crops of acorns and chokecherries, it should easily survive," said Mike Brown, CPW Area Wildlife Manager for the region including Trinidad.

They're still looking for the female bear and asked residents in the area to keep a lookout for if she returns. CPW did not say if she was injured or not.

"This is a highly unusual situation inside city limits," Brown said. "Property owners are within their legal rights to defend their livestock if their animals are being attacked by predators, such as bears or lions. However, this individual was shooting a rifle inside city limits and we deemed it an act that endangered human life and property of neighbors."

CPW said the man was cited with a class two demeanor with a fine ranging from $100 to $1,000.