Campers near Aspen are on high alert after two separate campers were bitten through their tents by black bears in the last two days.
Mike Porras of Colorado Parks and Wildlife says the first attack happened just before dawn Friday, when a bear jumped on a tent containing three men near Carter Lake. One of the men was bitten on his left side but was not seriously hurt.
The second attack happened early Saturday a few miles away near Buckskin Pass. In that case, a man alone in his tent was repeatedly bitten on his right leg through his sleeping bag. The Denver Post reported that he fought off the bear, but that despite attempts by two companions to scare the bear away, it lingered in the campsite after that attack.
The two companions were in separate tents. The Post reported that the companions helped the man descend in darkness to Maroon Lake and contacted authorities. The man was hospitalized Saturday with non-life-threatening injuries.
It is not known whether the same bear attacked both men. Porras says wildlife investigators are looking for the bear and expect to kill it.
The Post noted that three weeks ago, a 13-year-old boy asleep in his tent near Twin lakes was bitten by a bear who attacked through the tent wall. The bear was found and killed, authorities told the Post.