Gallery

Steve McClung, district wildlife manager, with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, lifts the cage door on Monday releasing the bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Steve McClung, district wildlife manager, with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, lifts the cage door on Monday releasing the bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

After the cage door was opened the bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June looks around at its new surroundings on Monday before sprinting away. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Steve McClung, district wildlife manager, with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, lifts the cage door on Monday releasing the bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

After the cage door was opened the bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June looks around at its new surroundings and jumps down on Monday before sprinting away. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

The bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June sprints off from its cage on Monday as it’s released to his new home on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

The bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June sprints off from its cage on Monday as it’s released to his new home on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

The bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June sprints off with healthy feet after being released from a cage on Monday to his new home on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

The bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June sprints off from its cage on Monday as it’s released to his new home on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

The bear that was burned in the East Canyon Fire back in June stops and looks back for a moment before disappearing into the forest after being released from a cage on Monday to his new home on the west side of the La Plata Mountains. The bear was captured with severely burned feet and then spent the past months at a rehab center in De Norte before being released back into the wild. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald