Colorado man badly mauled in his home by a mother bear with cubs he discovered foraging in his garage

• A man in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, was attacked by a mother bear on Sunday night.
• The man was hospitalized with severe cuts to his head and legs but is expected to survive.
• The man came face-to-face with the bear and its two cubs in his own garage.

A bear savagely mauled a man after he found the creature and her two cubs in his garage in Colorado on Sunday night.

The man from Steamboat Springs was taken to hospital to have surgery on severe cuts and wounds to his head and legs. He is expected to survive, according to a statement released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The statement said that the man had birdseed and other food items stored in his garage, which is what attracted the mother bear and its two cubs. At around 11 pm on Sunday night, the man noticed his open garage door.

Once he saw the bears in his garage he tried to slowly back away - but this is when the mother bear attacked.

The bear was then tracked down and euthanized before being sent to a lab for necropsy, while the two cubs are yet to be found. Once found, the cubs will be relocated.

It is the first time a bear attack has happened in Steamboat Springs, the northern area of Colorado.

"This is an unfortunate reminder that we need to stay vigilant and 'bear aware' at all times," Kyle Bond, CPW district wildlife manager, said in the statement.

"Easy access to food will always override a bear's natural fear of people, so we humans have to stay on top of keeping all food sources secure."

-Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) May 11, 2021

Last month, a 39-year-old woman from Durango, the southwest part of Colorado, was killed in a bear attack. According to a statement released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the bears - another mother and two cubs - were also tracked down and put down. Human remains were found in the stomachs of the mother bear and one of the cubs.

Steve McClung, assistant area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Durango, said in a statement: "Please remember, we're getting back into the season when bears are active. So please, secure your trash and take down the bird feeders."

McClung continued: "The last thing we want to do is put down a bear. Every wildlife officer absolutely hates doing that. So don't hesitate to call us as soon as you see any bad behavior, even if it appears minor. That gives us a much better opportunity to correct the situation early."