A 5-year-old girl was hospitalized with serious injuries in St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction after a bear attack outside her home in East Orchard Mesa above the Colorado River corridor, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.

The girl’s mother told CPW officers she heard screaming about 2:30 a.m., Sunday, and when she went outside to investigate, she saw a large black bear dragging her daughter. She said the bear dropped the girl after she began screaming at the animal, CPW said. The girl had gone outside to investigate noises related to her dog, her mother said.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were tracking the bear with the aid of federal wildlife services personnel on Sunday. As of 5 p.m., CPW said that it failed to find the bear, but set three traps in the area.

If captured, the bear will be destroyed, and the carcass will be sent to the CPW wildlife health laboratory in Fort Collins.

CPW would not release or confirm the name of the victim or identity of the family.

Local residents were advised that they might see law officers and hounds in the area.