‘Falling’ bear killed by cars

Andy Duann

A bear that wandered into the University of Colorado Boulder, Colo., dorm complex Williams Village falls from a tree after being tranquilized by Colorado wildlife officials, April 26.

Authorities say a bear made famous by a photo that captured the animal falling from a tree at the University of Colorado has been hit and killed by two cars.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say the black bear was struck on U.S. 36 around dawn Thursday by one car and then another.


Spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill told the Boulder Daily Camera that officials identified the bear as the same one whose photograph went viral by checking an ear tag that was placed on him after last week’s tree incident.

PhotoBlog: Tranquilized bear falls from tree at University of Colorado

Images of the 280-pound bear, its arms and legs splayed as it fell April 26, were widely viewed in newspapers and passed around social networks.

The animal was later relocated to a wilderness area about 50 miles west of Boulder.

“It’s a bummer. It’s so hard to go through this and not be able to give these bears a good place to live,” Churchill told the Daily Camera. “The community sees relocating bears as a kind of perfect solution, and unfortunately it’s a really difficult proposition.”

Police say one driver had minor injuries after hitting the bear.

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