A security guard at the five-star St. Regis Aspen Resort in Colorado was attacked by a black bear after it wandered into the building.
Security footage captured the attack at the luxury hotel which happened late on Monday night.
The staff member heard some commotion in the kitchen and went to investigate which is when he was attacked by the bear.
It leapt up on to its hind legs and swiped at the unidentified security guard, shoving him to the ground, before it quickly left the scene.
He called 911, received treatment for scratches to his back and was released from hospital on Tuesday. While the bear was later found and euthanized by officers. =
The black bear appears in the doorway and swipes at the man which sends him flying to the ground alongside a small cart
He immediately gets up and runs away and the bear disappears in the opposite direction
A clip shows the security guard heading towards the back of the kitchen before he is startled and attempts to head back.
The black bear appears in the doorway and swipes at the man which sends him flying to the ground alongside a small cart.
He immediately gets up and runs away and the bear disappears in the opposite direction.
The security guard called 911 and was treated for his injuries while authorities searched for the animal.
Wildlife officers spotted a black bear at around 10pm on Tuesday and hazed it into a tree at 2am.
The bear was tranquilized and removed from the tree with a fire ladder, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Wildlife officers spotted eight bears around downtown Aspen while searching for the bear.
But they said a distinctive white patch on the bear they were looking for helped confirm its identity.
The security guard called 911 and was treated for his injuries while authorities searched for the animal
The animal was then euthanized and sent to a Colorado Parks and Wildlifelab in Fort Collins for a necropsy.
‘Using the footage provided by the hotel, we were able to confirm the aggressive behavior of the bear and identify unique physical characteristics of the bear that assisted in the proper identification of the offending bear,’ area wildlife manager Matt Yamashita said.
The agency noted that although the bear was found in the kitchen it ‘noted the lack of food-related attractants and cleanliness of the kitchen’.
There are an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 bears in Colorado and the population is said to be ‘stable and growing’.