Young Bear Euthanized After Falling Down Colorado Waterfall

Wildlife officials were forced to euthanize a 250-pound bear that was critically injured after falling down a waterfall in Colorado.

The incident occurred on Saturday at the Broadmoor Seven Falls waterfall in Colorado Springs, local officials said. The tourist attraction is a series of seven cascading waterfalls of the South Cheyenne Creek.

"Sad ending for a bear today that fell down a waterfall at [Colorado Springs' Seven Falls]," Colorado Parks and Wildlife's (CPW) Southeast Region said in a Tweet posted Sunday. "After [Colorado Parks and Wildlife] Officers Cassidy English and Sarah Watson euthanized the crippled bear, the El Paso County Search and Rescue team recovered the remains in dramatic fashion."

"The bear, a boar estimated three-four years old and 250 pounds, somehow fell 15 feet down an upper falls. Struggling and unable to move its back legs, it then plunged 40 feet down this sheer waterfall. [Colorado Parks and Wildlife] ended its suffering. But experts were needed to recover it."

Recovering the euthanized bear from its resting place was no easy task. The rescue team first climbed up 120 steep stairs to an overlook point where they carefully scaled a steep and slippery canyon wall before crossing a falls in order to reach the bear.

"Part of the El Paso County Search and Rescue team went higher on the stairs to create a pulley system they used to pull the remains across the water and then up and over the railing of the stairways," the CPW said on Twitter. "Footing was treacherous and communication impeded by the water's roar."

Once the rescue team had recovered the bear, they lowered it to the ground 12 stories below before leaving the site.

"[Colorado Parks and Wildlife] is grateful for their quick response and job well done under tough conditions," the CPW said on Twitter.

The CPW posted video footage showing the rescue team in the process of recovering the bear.

A post-mortem examination conducted by English and Watson revealed a serious wound and infection on the bear's right side. The pair concluded that these may have contributed to the animal stumbling down the waterfall.

Twitter user Tim Stewart said in a post that he had reported the bear incident to officials.

"Thank u all for doing your job," he wrote on Twitter below the CPW posts. "I reported the bear and was hoping he was just coming out of hibernation but I was wrong. Was hoping for the best, but at least he didn't suffer."