Bear Awakens Teen by Crunching on His Skull

A Colorado teen was roused early in the morning by a "crunching sound" when he realized that a bear was dragging him by his skull.

At around 4:00 a.m., a young man awoke to what he described as a "crunching sound," only to find that his head was inside the toothy maw of a large black bear.

19-year-old Dylan was being pulled out of his sleeping bag and dragged by the bear. He had been sleeping outside at Glacier View Ranch northwest of Denver, when the incident occurred. The crunching sound was the bear's teeth scraping Dylan's skull.

As soon as he realized what was happening, Dylan began to scream and punch at the bear, finding its eye and jabbing at it with his fingers. Other campers awoke to his yells and rushed to his aid, yelling and swatting at the bear, which left the scene after having dragged Dylan ten or twelve feet.

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Dylan is a wilderness survival counselor and was sleeping with the other staff members outside a small group of teepees that sheltered 12- and 13-year-old campers. None of the younger children were injured in the attack.

Dylan was treated with first aid by camp staff until paramedics arrived and rushed him to a hospital. He received nine staples to his head and suffered a few scratches. He was released fairly shortly after his admission.

Wildlife officials stated that over the last ten years in Colorado there have been around 20 bear attacks, but this bear's behavior was unusually aggressive.

Officials are attempting to track and trap the bear so that it can be euthanized. Colorado Parks and Wildlife official Jennifer Churchill said,

"A lot of citizens get very upset when we have to put animals down. I think it's very important that we understand that we can't have wildlife if we don't have public safety. It [the bear] can teach that behavior to other animals or that behavior could escalate."

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