Black bear conflicts, sightings in Colorado elevated almost 15% final yr

DENVER — Reviews of bear sightings and conflicts with individuals elevated almost 15% in 2024 from the earlier 5 years, in response to new knowledge from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), with greater than half of the conflicts stemming from trash.

Final yr, CPW obtained 5,022 of those reviews. A few fifth have been linked to livestock, chickens and beehives, and 18% have been linked with chook seed, pet meals, BBQ grills, coolers and fridges, CPW stated. Of the greater than 5,000 reviews, 2,225 resulted in property harm.

“These conflicts might all simply be lowered if the general public takes some easy steps round their houses and properties to stop bears from accessing them,” CPW stated.

Watch the video under to see a black bear attempt to open a trash can after which depart when it’s unable to take action.

Bear tries to get into trash can in Durango

Black bears are the biggest carnivore in Colorado and usually keep on with their pure weight loss program of berries, nuts and bugs.

Nonetheless, in the event that they discover human meals, they’ll rapidly change their habits, and start actively looking for out houses, unsecured trash cans and birdfeeders.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

The 17,000 to twenty,000 black bears within the state are likely to reside alongside the Entrance Vary and foothills into western Colorado. Within the majority of incidents involving the animals yearly, they have been making an attempt to entry human meals.

Final yr, pure meals sources assorted throughout the state on account of drought, late frosts and ranging rainfall. The locations that noticed a lower in acorns and berries ended up with extra bear exercise in residential areas, which led to each property harm and automotive crashes, CPW stated.

The company launched a system to report bear exercise in April 2019 to assist wildlife managers observe conflicts across the state. This knowledge helps the company observe traits and determine what’s attracting bears to individuals on an area, regional and statewide degree. For the reason that system’s launch, CPW has recorded almost 27,000 reviews of sightings and conflicts with bears.

CPW stated it is aware of that generally individuals do not report bear exercise as a result of they consider wildlife officers will euthanize the animal. The company stated of the 5,022 bear-related reviews from 2024, simply 1.95% led to euthanization. When reported early, wildlife officers can educate neighbors, attempt to haze the bear and, when relevant, can attempt to relocate it earlier than its habits rises to a harmful degree. Nonetheless, the latter has blended success.

In the event you see a bear inflicting a difficulty in an city space, name your native CPW workplace. To study extra about dwelling with bears in Colorado, click on right here.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

CPW has the next suggestions for tips on how to bear-proof your house, automobiles and campsites, and shield livestock:

Bear-proofing your house:

• Maintain rubbish in a well-secured location. Solely put out rubbish on the morning of pickup.
• Clear rubbish cans commonly to maintain them freed from meals odors: ammonia is efficient.
• Maintain storage doorways closed, Don’t depart pet meals or inventory feed exterior.
• Use a bear-resistant trash can or dumpster.
• Chook feeders are a serious supply of bear/human conflicts. Appeal to birds naturally with flowers and water baths. Don’t grasp chook feeders from April 15 to Nov. 15.
• Don’t permit bears to change into comfy round your home. In the event you see one, haze it by yelling at it, throwing issues at it and making loud noises to scare it off.
• Safe compost piles. Bears are interested in the scent of rotting meals.
• Clear the grill after every use, clean-up completely after cookouts.
• If in case you have fruit bushes, do not permit the fruit to rot on the bottom.
• Speak to your neighbors and children about being Bear Conscious.

Bear-proofing your automotive and campsites:

• Lock your doorways if you’re away from residence and at evening.
• Maintain the underside flooring home windows of your home closed if you’re not at residence.
• Don’t maintain meals in your automobile; roll up home windows and lock the doorways of your automobiles.
• When car-camping, safe all meals and coolers in a locked automobile.
• Maintain a clear camp, whether or not you’re in a campground or within the backcountry.
• When tenting within the backcountry, grasp meals 100 ft or extra from the campsite; don’t convey any meals into your tent.
• Cook dinner meals effectively away out of your tent; wash dishes completely.

Bear-proofing your chickens, bees, livestock:

• Maintain chickens, bees and livestock in a totally coated enclosure, particularly at evening. 
• Assemble electrical fencing when attainable.
• Don’t retailer livestock feed exterior.
• Maintain enclosures clear to attenuate animal odors. 
• Cling rags soaked in ammonia and/or Pine-Sol across the enclosure as a scent deterrent.