'Except for bears ... bears will kill you
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
In the early days, of course there was Grizzly. And though it may be rare, black bears have been known to attack and kill people in this state.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said a woman was found dead off U.S. Highway 550 after a suspected bear attack, according to the Durango Herald in a report by Shannon Mullane, Herald Staff Writer on May 4, 2021.
"According to her boyfriend, the 39-year-old victim was believed to have gone walking with her two dogs earlier Friday," La Plata County Sheriff’s office said.
After searching for her, he found her body around 9:30 p.m. and called 911.
When CPW wildlife officers responded, they found signs of consumption on the body and an abundance of bear scat and hair at the scene.
CPW officers and a U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services dog team assisted with La Plata County deputies to search the area.
The dogs found a female black bear with two cubs nearby. The bears were euthanized and taken to CPW’s Wildlife Health Lab in Fort Collins for a necropsy.
When CPW wildlife officers responded, they found signs of consumption on the body and an abundance of bear scat and hair at the scene.
CPW officers and a U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services dog team assisted with La Plata County deputies to search the area.
The dogs found a female black bear with two cubs nearby. The bears were euthanized and taken to CPW’s Wildlife Health Lab in Fort Collins for a necropsy.
The 39-year-old Durango woman who was killed in a bear attack was identified as Laney Malavolta.
“While Laney’s physical presence was suddenly taken from this earth, all that know and love her can take comfort; Laney’s soul will live forever in her favorite place, doing her favorite thing,” said her family and Justin Rangel, her boyfriend, in a joint statement. “She would not have wanted it any other way.”
La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith released the identity and autopsy results shortly after the attack.
Malavolta was found dead west of the 5800 block of County Road 203, in a wooded area near Whispering Pines Bible Camp, north of Durango and near Trimble Lane (County Road 252), according to the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
During an examination, a state wildlife pathologist found human remains inside the stomachs of two black bears found nearby.
Both the necropsy results from the bears and the autopsy results performed on Malavolta confirmed Malavolta’s death was the result of a bear attack, Smith said.
“They grabbed her by the neck,” she said. “It was extensive damage.”
The official cause of death was a perforating injury to the neck. It was ruled an accident by Mike Arnall, who conducted the autopsy, and Smith, who assisted.
Malavolta was apparently on a walk with her dogs, according to the Sheriff’s Office, which spoke with Rangel. Rangel told the Sheriff’s Office he returned home about 8:30 p.m. and found the two dogs outside their home, but Malavolta was missing. He searched for her and found her body about 9:30 p.m. He then called 911 to report the incident.
Wildlife officers suspected a bear attack based on the trauma and obvious signs of consumption on the body and an abundance of bear scat and hair at the scene.
Three bears, the sow (female bear) and her two yearlings, were discovered near the woman’s body after a search by Colorado Parks & Wildlife officers, which included a team of U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services trained tracking dogs.
No human remains were found in the stomach of a second yearling euthanized with the other two.
Malavolta worked as a wine sales representative with the Republic National Distributing Co.
An experienced and knowledgeable operator in the backcountry, Malavolta’s “greatest joy” was to be outdoors, the family’s statement said.
Sparse snippets of Malavolta’s life could be gathered from social media. Her father’s girlfriend, Kim Strain, asked for prayers and support for the family.
Her boyfriend told police he got home around 8:30 p.m. and the dogs were present but his girlfriend was not there.
Before that, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife information, bear-caused deaths in Colorado were extremely rare, but included the following:
“While Laney’s physical presence was suddenly taken from this earth, all that know and love her can take comfort; Laney’s soul will live forever in her favorite place, doing her favorite thing,” said her family and Justin Rangel, her boyfriend, in a joint statement. “She would not have wanted it any other way.”
La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith released the identity and autopsy results shortly after the attack.
Malavolta was found dead west of the 5800 block of County Road 203, in a wooded area near Whispering Pines Bible Camp, north of Durango and near Trimble Lane (County Road 252), according to the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
During an examination, a state wildlife pathologist found human remains inside the stomachs of two black bears found nearby.
Both the necropsy results from the bears and the autopsy results performed on Malavolta confirmed Malavolta’s death was the result of a bear attack, Smith said.
“They grabbed her by the neck,” she said. “It was extensive damage.”
The official cause of death was a perforating injury to the neck. It was ruled an accident by Mike Arnall, who conducted the autopsy, and Smith, who assisted.
Malavolta was apparently on a walk with her dogs, according to the Sheriff’s Office, which spoke with Rangel. Rangel told the Sheriff’s Office he returned home about 8:30 p.m. and found the two dogs outside their home, but Malavolta was missing. He searched for her and found her body about 9:30 p.m. He then called 911 to report the incident.
Wildlife officers suspected a bear attack based on the trauma and obvious signs of consumption on the body and an abundance of bear scat and hair at the scene.
Three bears, the sow (female bear) and her two yearlings, were discovered near the woman’s body after a search by Colorado Parks & Wildlife officers, which included a team of U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services trained tracking dogs.
No human remains were found in the stomach of a second yearling euthanized with the other two.
Malavolta worked as a wine sales representative with the Republic National Distributing Co.
An experienced and knowledgeable operator in the backcountry, Malavolta’s “greatest joy” was to be outdoors, the family’s statement said.
Sparse snippets of Malavolta’s life could be gathered from social media. Her father’s girlfriend, Kim Strain, asked for prayers and support for the family.
Her boyfriend told police he got home around 8:30 p.m. and the dogs were present but his girlfriend was not there.
Before that, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife information, bear-caused deaths in Colorado were extremely rare, but included the following:
July 25, 1971: A honeymooning couple was attacked while tent camping near Grand Lake in Grand County. A large older bear entered the tent, injured the woman and pulled the 31-year-old man away from the campsite. The man was killed. The bear was later found and destroyed. Further examination of the black bear found that it had worn, abscessed teeth and a plastic bucket in its stomach.
Aug. 10, 1993: A 24-year-old Buena Vista man was attacked and killed after a male bear broke into a camper 20 miles north of Cotopaxi in Fremont County, presumably in a search for food. The camper tried to stop the attack by shooting at the bear, but it only injured the animal. The bear was injured by a bullet that grazed its rib cage, possibly increasing the intensity of the attack. A 250-pound, very aggressive male black bear with a fresh bullet wound to the rib cage was trapped and destroyed six days later. A necropsy on the bear revealed human remains in its digestive system.
Aug. 7, 2009: A 74-year-old woman was killed and partially eaten by a bear or bears at her home near Ouray, in Ouray County. As sheriff’s deputies were investigating the scene, they were approached by a 250-pound, 5-year-old male black bear that exhibited aggressive behavior. Deputies shot and killed the bear after it approached them and showed no fear of people. Results of the necropsy on that bear were inconclusive as to whether it was involved in the original incident. Early the next morning, federal wildlife officers killed a 394-pound, mature male black bear that approached the home and exhibited aggressive behavior. A necropsy on the large older boar revealed human remains and remnants of clothing in its digestive system. A CPW investigation determined the victim illegally fed bears through a fence in her yard.
Aug. 7, 2009: A 74-year-old woman was killed and partially eaten by a bear or bears at her home near Ouray, in Ouray County. As sheriff’s deputies were investigating the scene, they were approached by a 250-pound, 5-year-old male black bear that exhibited aggressive behavior. Deputies shot and killed the bear after it approached them and showed no fear of people. Results of the necropsy on that bear were inconclusive as to whether it was involved in the original incident. Early the next morning, federal wildlife officers killed a 394-pound, mature male black bear that approached the home and exhibited aggressive behavior. A necropsy on the large older boar revealed human remains and remnants of clothing in its digestive system. A CPW investigation determined the victim illegally fed bears through a fence in her yard.
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