Colorado Parks and Wildlife cited a 28-year-old Trinidad man for shooting and killing two bear cubs last week.
The 28-year-old was cited with careless discharge of a firearm after he shot at a mother bear and three cubs that were killing his chickens outside his Trinidad home, according to a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The citation is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of $100 to $1,000, according to CPW officials.
Two cubs died in the shooting and the third — a 40-pound male — was captured alive by CPW officers, who released it back into the forest.
A video posted by CPW shows the bear cub darting out of a metal transport truck and disappearing into the trees.
“With excellent crops of acorns and chokecherries, it should easily survive,” Mike Brown, CPW Area Wildlife Manager for the region, said in the release.
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CPW also tried to trap the mother bear, but it escaped, Brown said. CPW officers have asked neighbors to keep a lookout for the sow and notify them immediately if it returns.
“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.”
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