A 3-foot-tall cinnamon-colored bear spotted in a residential area of Highlands Ranch on Wednesday afternoon ambled on its way and avoided being tranquilized.
Reverse 911 calls to a quarter-mile area warned residents to stay inside after the bear was first spotted by residents at about 1:40 p.m. on Chesapeake Street near Veneford Ranch Road, said Lt. Attila Denes of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.
Wildlife officials watched the bear move back into Dad Clark Park and away from homes and businesses.
“It wasn’t acting aggressive, going through garbage, anything like that,” Denes said.
Wildlife officials have set up an overnight perimeter to make sure the bear moves on or it will be tranquilized and moved to the backcountry, Denes said.
The bear did not appear to have a tag indicating it had been relocated before, he said, noting that aggressive bears have to be euthanized for public safety.
Sherry Eppers, a spokeswoman for Metro Districts of Highlands Ranch, said bears are uncommon in the 2,000 acres of open space in Highlands Ranch.
Highlands Ranch encompasses 22,000 acres that are home to more than 92,000 people.
The planned community abuts wilderness that teems with wildlife, including elk, deer, pronghorn, coyotes, eagles, hawks, falcons, bobcats, rattlesnakes and mountain lions, in addition to bear.
“Our open spaces are pretty broad, and they’re pretty long,” Eppers said. “But bear sightings are still not that common.”
