Bear Caught Dangling From Colorado Home Window Euthanized

A bear with a history of housebreaking that was seen dangling from the window of a Colorado home last week has been euthanized, officials said.

The young bear managed to enter the property in Steamboat Springs, in the north of the state, through a window on the first floor. But it appeared to have some trouble getting out, as a video captured by neighbor Heidi Hannah shows.

After eventually finding its way out of the home, wildlife crews managed to trap it. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) subsequently euthanized the bear, the agency confirmed to CBS News Colorado.

Officials said the same bear had already found its way into three different homes on previous occasions.

In the past, CPW has euthanized bears that have become too comfortable around humans or entered homes.

Euthanasia is often used when a bear poses a "risk to human health and safety" or is known to have come into conflict with humans previously, according to a CPW report.

"Euthanasia is often used to remove bears that have caused bodily harm to people, livestock, broken into homes or structures, exhibited repeated aggressive behavior, or exhibited aggressive behavior one time and it is deemed necessary to euthanize by a wildlife officer," the report states.

"Euthanasia eliminates future problems from a specific animal, but does not resolve issues—such as food attractants—that may have been responsible for exacerbating undesirable bear behavior and activity."

The tactic of relocating bears instead of euthanizing is a fairly common management tool used by wildlife agencies. However, evidence suggests that it is not always successful in reducing the problematic behavior of the animal in question, or keeping them away from the site of their original capture.

"Translocation reduces bear survival and is often associated with the return of individuals to their capture sites," the report says.

"In a state like Colorado, it is often difficult to find release locations that are far from the capture site, are a high-quality bear habitat and far enough from human development or other human attractants. Trapping bears for either translocation or euthanasia is costly and labor intensive, requiring extensive time and resources from CPW and partnering agencies."

At the time of the incident in Steamboat Springs, the residents of the property were not at home.

After entering, the bear wandered around the home, helping itself to some food, before eventually trying to escape, USA Today reported.

In the video, the bear can be seen dangling from the second-floor window, seemingly assessing the drop to the ground below before climbing back inside.

Eventually, the bear managed to find a way out through the same window that it had entered and wandered off into some nearby woods, but it was subsequently captured by wildlife officials.

CPW recommends that people living in bear country lock their doors and windows when they are not at home, as well as making sure trash is secure.

Newsweek has contacted Colorado Parks and Wildlife for comment.