PONCHA SPRINGS, Colo. -- A large, male black bear was killed by the Division of Wildlife Monday morning near the site where two campers were attacked last month.

The 295-pound bear is being examined to determine if it is the same bear that injured a 17-year-old Boy Scout from Kansas last week at the Packard High Adventure Camp, located two miles south of Poncha Springs.

Wildlife officers will measure the spread of the bear's canine teeth and the width of its paws to see if they match injuries to the Paul Marusak (pictured, left), officials said in a press release.

"Based on the bruises on the boy, we expected to find a large bear," said Tom Spezze, the Division's area wildlife mana! ger in Salida. "This bear was so old that it's teeth were badly worn down which matches the injuries to the boy."

The fact that the bear was trapped just outside the tent where two previous attacks occurred also indicates that it is the bear that injured the scout. The bear will be transported to Fort Collins for disease testing and examination.

Two day's before Marusak's attack, wildlife officials had killed another bear that they believed to have attacked Scout leader Vicki Myhnier on July 24.

Spezze said that other aggressive bears, including one large animal that has been attempting to break into people's homes near Poncha Springs despite repeated attempts to drive it away, may also be destroyed in the area.

After the second attack, the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office and the Division of Wildlife closed down the campsite. They said that the Boy Scout camp would not reopen until bear-proof tr! ash containers have been installed next year.

In addition to that, officials are considering other steps to prevent people from intentionally or accidentally feeding bears and other wildlife. Some area residents have been intentionally feeding bears and others have left trash and other attractants outside of their homes.

"When bears are fed by people, they become habituated to human food and loose their natural wariness of people," said Tom Beck, a Division wildlife researcher who has studied bears extensively. "Bears that have been fed by people are the ones most likely to injure people," Beck explained.

He said Poncha Springs officials are considering requiring residents to place all of their trash in a central wildlife proof receptacle to help prevent future problems.