A Camp staffer of a children’s mountain camp woke up on Sunday morning to the sight of a Bear biting his head. The staffer was able to survive the attack.
The 19-year-old, who identified himself only as Dylan, is a staffer at the Glacier View Ranch in Boulder County, Colorado. He teaches wildlife survival skills to kids and is knowledgeable of what to do at times like this. According to CBS, Dylan told them that he woke up at around 4 a.m. on Sunday and saw that a bear was biting his head. He noted that there was a “crunching sound” and he felt a lot of pain.
He said that the bear had already dragged him across the ground.
Dylan started hitting the bear and poked the animal’s eyes. The bear continued to drag him for 10 feet more before finally let go. The other staff members at the Glacier View Ranch helped in trying to scare away the bear and later applied first aid to Dylan. Paramedics arrived at the scene to assess Dylan's condition before taking him to a hospital.
Dylan received nine staples in the back of his head and an animal bite shot. He said he feels lucky that he survived the attack.
The bear attacked Dylan when he was sleeping inside a sleeping bag on the lakefront of the camp. Four other staffers also slept in the area.
What is the next move?
Parks and wildlife officials are now hunting down the bear that attacked Dylan. They will have to euthanize the bear because of the danger it poses, NBC 26 reported. Outdoor enthusiasts have been warned about the dangerous bear.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife will euthanize the bear once it is tracked down.
A spokesperson for the organization, Joe Lewandowski, said they hate to put the bear down but the safety of citizens is at risk. Another spokesperson, Jennifer Churchill, said a lot of people get upset if they euthanize animals but they “can’t have wildlife if we don’t have public safety.” She added that bears attracted to trash cans are understandable but if they become aggressive towards a person, it is not tolerable as the behavior of the bear could escalate and other animals might attack people, too.
CBS News Denver reported that "management teams were using hounds and said they might also use traps to track down the bear for euthanization."
Operations at the camp continue
Glacier View Ranch director, Dan Hansen, said the bear attacked Dylan without any provocation No other people, such as campers, were hurt during the attack.
A summer camp program is ongoing at Glacier View Ranch and will still continue despite the attack.
