Cars kill Univ. of Colorado's 'falling bear'

Cars kill Univ. of Colorado's 'falling bear'

A black bear made famous when it tumbled tranquilized from a tree on the University of Colorado-Boulder campus last week has been struck and killed by cars in a wilderness area, The Daily Camera reports.

The 280-pound "falling bear" had been relocated to the more remote area about 50 miles west of Boulder.

Jennifer Churchill, spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, confirms to the newspaper that officials have positively identified the bear struck on U.S. 36 as the same one that was tranquilized on campus April 26.

"It's a bummer. It's so hard to go through this and not be able to give these bears a good place to live," Churchill tells the newspaper. "The community sees relocating bears as a kind of perfect solution, and unfortunately it's a really difficult proposition."

CU student Andy Duann's photo of the bear for the CU Independent newspaper became an instant Internet sensation last week. The "falling bear" even has its own Facebook page and Twitter account.