Famous ‘Falling Bear’ Dies After Getting Hit By Car
A black bear became an internet sensation last week after it tumbled out of a tree at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Authorities shot the bear with tranquilizer darts, causing the 280-pound bear to lose its grip on the tree and fall onto an air mattress.
The USA Today reports that the bear was brought back to the wilderness about 50 miles west of Boulder. Sadly, the bear was hit by a car last night and was killed.
Jennifer Churchill, spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, confirmed that the bear killed last night was the same bear that was tranquilized on the University of Colorado-Boulder campus.
Churchill said:
“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. The community sees relocating bears as a kind of perfect solution, and unfortunately it’s a really difficult proposition.”
Colorado state police said that the accident involved two cars. One of the drivers received minor injuries in the accident.
The internet famous “falling bear” photo was captured CU student Andy Duann. The falling bear now has its own Facebook and Twitter pages. You can see a video of the bear on the UC Boulder campus here.
