Black bear kills and partially eats woman on footpath in Colorado

A female bear and its cubs were later shot

Officers at the scene of the attack in La Plata County, Colorado, on Saturday morning (Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

A woman was killed and partially eating by a black bear in Colorado, according to authorities.

The body of the 39-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was found by her boyfriend in woodland in Durango, a town of La Plata County, on Friday.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), she was found in woodland hours after she went walking with the couple’s two dogs on Friday afternoon.

When the man returned home from work on Friday evening, he found the couple’s two dogs in front of the home, but not his girlfriend.

He told officers that he eventually found her body on a well known footpath.

In a press release, CPW said that “officers responded and observed signs of consumption on the body and an abundance of bear scat and hair at the scene.”

Officers from CPW, the La Plata County sheriff’s office, and a dog team from the US department of agriculture continued to search the area.

The dog team found a female black bear in the woodland with two cubs, who were shot by the officers, according to CPW.

“Bear attacks are extremely rare,” said Cory Chick, CPW southwest region manager. “This is a tragic event and a sad reminder that bears are wild and potentially dangerous.”

“Out of an abundance of caution, the bears were removed for public safety,” the official continued. “We ask the public to report any encounter with an aggressive bear to CPW.”

An investigation into the attack is ongoing, with an autopsy on the woman due, as well as analysis of the bears’ DNA.

It is thought to be only the fourth fatal bear attack recorded in Colorado since records began 60 years ago, and the first for almost 12 years.