A camp staffer at a Christian summer camp in Colorado received medical care after he was made awake early Sunday by a bear chewing on his head.
The 19-year-old said that he thought he was dreaming as he heard a “crunching sound,” only to wake up in “immense pain” as the black bear attempted to drag him away from the Glacier View Ranch campsite, Colorado Parks & Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill told CNN.
The victim — who teaches wilderness survival at the camp — told CNN affiliate KMGH about the ordeal.
“The crunching noise, I guess, was the teeth scraping against the skull as it dug in,” the victim said.
“It grabbed me… and pulled me. Then it bit the back of my head and (dragged) me,” he told KMGH. The animal managed to drag the teenager for about 10 -12 feet before it was scared away by other staff members.
“When it was dragging me, that was the slowest part. It felt like it went forever.”
Early morning attack
The attack happened about 4 a.m. Sunday (3 a.m. ET) when the animal wandered into a part of the camp where several staff members were sleeping, a press release from the summer camp, which at the time of the attack was catering to preteens, said.
“Unprovoked, the bear proceeded to attack one staff member.”
The press release said that no campers were involved or in any danger. The wounded staffer was transported to Boulder for medical treatment. He has since been released, Churchill told KMGH.
Churchill said that even though the unprovoked attack is not common black bear behavior, the animal will be removed.
“It is a dangerous bear so we can’t tolerate animals like that,” she said.
Staff and directors at Glacier View Ranch took “appropriate actions” and are cooperating with the Colorado Department of Parks & Wildlife to track and remove the bear from the area, the campsite’s press release said.
The summer camp program will continue, the release says, with another intake of campers attending the camp from July 9 to July 16.
“Due to its location in the mountains, just several miles from Rocky Mountain National Park, we anticipate contact with various wildlife throughout the summer camp season.
“As such, we train our staff for contact, interaction and incidents with wildlife including moose, wild cats and bears.”