Young Bear Barrels Into Loveland Safeway and Then Out Again

It was not your average Friday at the Safeway off of Wilson and Eisenhower in Loveland on Friday, June 24, 2022. Shoppers and staffers were treated to an usual shopper.

Luckily, this young bear looked more like a big dog than a bear, otherwise it may have been a very frightening situation. Let's call the bear "Sophia," as, according to the Reporter-Herald, she headed straight to the pasta aisle.

It was about 9 a.m. that Sophia wandered through the automatic doors into Safeway. I guess it just wouldn't be prudent to put bear locks on the doors. After browsing the pasta aisle, Sophia was 'shooed' out by an employee. Sophia did not come across as aggressive, at all, while in the store.

According to the Reporter-Herald, Sophia, a 2-year-old blonde black bear, scampered over and up into a tree that's in the parking lot. A CPW district wildlife manager and crew came out to assist. After laying out pads for Sophia to fall onto, they tranquilized her.

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Then, Sophia's day just got more frustrating, because she didn't fall out of the tree; she got caught up in some branches. The CPW manager ended up having to go up into the tree to free Sophia from entanglement, and while trying to get a rope around her (to lower her down) Sophia slipped through the tree down onto the CPW truck.

RELATED: Why We Can Expect More Bear Encounters This Year

Quite a day for our young Sophia. The CPW will be returning her back to the forest, where she may not find any pasta, but hopefully won't find any more trouble.