Two Bear Cubs Hit And Killed On Colorado Highway

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO — Two black bear cubs were killed on U.S. Highway 40 on Wednesday, Steamboat Springs Police Sgt. Rich Brown said via the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

The outlet reported that after the incident, which occurred just after 9 p.m. Wednesday, one of the cubs was already deceased and the other badly injured when officials arrived on the scene. Officers were advised by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to put the injured cub down.

Brown said that skid marks found on the road suggest that the vehicle might have been a semi-truck that did not stop, according to the Pilot & Today.

“They thought maybe someone had tried to avoid the bears and unfortunately hit them both,” Brown said, the Pilot & Today reported.

Steamboat resident Paul Bruggeman said in the newspaper that when he came across the scene, the mother bear was still on the road.

“The mama bear just didn’t know what to do, you know. She was just running back and forth,” Bruggeman said, according to the Pilot & Today. “It was awful.”

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, while not all collisions are avoidable, drivers can protect themselves and wildlife on the road by slowing down, staying alert, scanning ahead, and obeying traffic and wildlife warning signs.