A Nederland resident had a brush with a bear at an apartment located in the Prime Haven Senior Living Housing in town. Judy MacDougall, the resident, was actually asleep with her hearing aids out when the intruder broke in briefly, and left.

“We think that the bear was trying to get in the trash can. When we arrived, the screen door was wide open, with the door pushed in,” said MacDougall’s daughter, Lisa Bernal. “The trash can was smashed, and there was scat where you could see it had walked around outside. It must have happened in the middle of the night or early this morning.”

Bernal said that the lock was broken, but a neighbor, Rob, had seen the bear and showed Bernal the scat where it had been outside.

“My mother couldn’t hear, her hearing aids were out. She didn’t even wake up,” explained Bernal. “It broke the door open, and it was previously locked. We called the police first thing.”

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, rangers have seen bears displaying more abnormal and aggressive behavior as of late. Bernal urged other residents of Prime Haven and the Nederland area to be cautious and watch out for bear activity.

“It scared me because the bear obviously got in, but didn’t come in any farther than the door,” said Bernal. Thankfully, MacDougall is safe, she said.