WATCH: CPW officer ‘hazes’ bear hiding on family’s porch

BLACK FOREST, Colo. (KXRM) – A Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officer helped a bear find its way back into the forest after the bear got stuck on a family’s porch on Sunday 18 september.

CPW posted the video on Twitterand explained how CPW officer Corey Adler ‘scrambled’ the bear after it fled to the porch, rather than tranquilizing and handling it, which allegedly led to the first ‘attack’ of the bear.

In the video, Officer Adler uses paintballs and the sound of a taser, along with forceful footsteps on the porch to coax the bear out of hiding. Once the bear emerges, the officer “mists” it – scaring the bear into avoiding humans in the future.

“Our officer not only drove [the bear] away from the porch, he chased him to scramble him and restore his natural fear of humans,” said CPW public information officer Bill Vogrin. “And he did the bear a big favor by not handling him. If he had tranquilized and moved it, the bear would have been earmarked. This means that if he ever got into trouble again, he would be euthanized.

Vogrin said the family initially reached out because they thought the bear was stuck on the porch, but instead the bear was just hiding in the shade during the heat of the day. Vogrin said CPW’s concern arises when a bear becomes too comfortable with people and begins to view them as a food source.

“We want to avoid this scenario. So when we see a bear getting comfortable with humans, we step in to restore that fear,” Vogrin said. “This neighborhood is surrounded by forest. The bear belongs to the forest, not comfortable under a porch.

Vogrin said if you see a bear on your own property, you can take a picture from a safe distance and then scare it away.

“From the door of your house or from a window, yell at the bear. Rattle pots and pans. We encourage the use of “rattle boxes” – simply soda cans half filled with gravel. Throw them near a bear to scare them away,” Vogrin suggested.

CPW also encourages you to identify and address what on your property attracts bears. Remove bird feeders, greasy barbecue grills, pet food and fruit from trees or gardens, as well as keep your garage closed to prevent bears from entering and ransacking your garage refrigerator or other containers food storage.

CPW offers many Bear Aware tips on its website, which you can find here.