A 375-pound black bear was put down by the Department of Wildlife Thursday after repeatedly going in and out of a small studio apartment in Manitou Springs.

The bear, thought to be 5 or 6 years old, broke in through a window of the apartment, opened the refrigerator and took food back outside to eat. It would then go back into the apartment for more food, said department spokesman Michael Seraphin.

No one was home at the time. Officials tranquilized the bear at the scene.

Seraphin said relocating the bear was not an option. The bear's odd behavior of repeatedly going into the apartment indicated it would have been a threat to the community.

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