CCTV captures moment bear pushes security guard over at luxury Colorado hotel

CCTV footage captured the moment a security guard startled a bear that was roaming a luxury hotel, causing it to attack him.

The moment a bear attacked a security guard in a luxury hotel in Aspen was caught on CCTV.

At around 11pm on Monday, the on-duty security guard went to investigate a break in at the St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen.

While searching the kitchen, he startled a bear - which had been hiding out in the facility - causing it to take a swipe at the guard and knock him to the ground.

The victim was hospitalised and treated for scratch injuries to his back, before being released the following morning.

Wildlife officers arrived on the scene an hour after the attack and a bear-hunt was launched.

During the investigation they were able to get a full description of the bear, including specific details of a white mark on its chest to assist in locating and identifying it. 

On Tuesday night, officers found the animal just two miles from the resort and tranquilized it before taking it away to be euthanised.

“During our initial investigation we gathered witness statements along with photos and videos from hotel security cameras,” said Matt Yamashita, Area Wildlife Manager.

“All played an important part in our investigation. Using the footage provided by the hotel, we were able to confirm the aggressive behavior of the bear and identify unique physical characteristics of the bear that assisted in the proper identification of the offending bear.”

Officers did note that while searching for this bear, eight other bears were seen moving around the Aspen area.

The bear was sent to a health lab where a full necropsy will be performed. 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates that the state has between 17,000 – 20,000 bears and the population is stable and growing. 

The body has clear guidelines on intervention in black bear incidents and attacks, euthanising animals that are either considered: dangerous, depredating or nuisance bears that receive two strikes.

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