A big male black bear that got stranded in the storm drains under Colorado Springs was coaxed out through a manhole in the sort of incident wildlife officials say is becoming common in the city.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) got a call from an alarmed resident on the city’s west side July 10, reporting bears lurking in the storm drains under a suburban street, agency spokesman Dean Miller told Cowboy State Daily.

It turned out to be just one bear that had entered the storm drain system through a tunnel outlet, though officials don’t know when or where. The bear might have ventured into the tunnels to escape the heat.

The bear must have started meandering through the subterranean network, squeezing through tunnels that allowed him to go only forward.

“He must have been too big to tu

See Full Page