ASPEN, Colo.—Wildlife officers are fielding numerous calls about bears behaving badly, especially in the central Colorado mountains where officers recently killed seven deemed as threats to people.
Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton said if the pace continues, this summer in Pitkin County, which includes Aspen, could rival 2007.
State wildlife officers killed 13 troublesome bears in Pitkin County in 2007. A late freeze and drought heavily damaged the animals’ natural food sources—berries and acorns—and bears were rummaging food in trash bins and open buildings in Colorado’s mountains and foothills.
This summer, rainy and cooler weather has delayed the berry crop, sending some bears in search of other food sources. Wildlife officials also believe some bears have also just become accustomed to human food and take advantage of open Dumpsters and doors.
State wildlife officers relocate bears that are a nuisance but aren’t considered a danger. The bear is tagged and might be euthanized if it gets into trouble again.
“We just have a lot of bears, unfortunately, that have been habituated,” Hampton said. “People have trained bears too well.”
Wildlife officers killed a bear that had been breaking into homes in Aspen and another in Glenwood Springs over the weekend.
In the foothills west of Boulder, a black bear that broke into a home Monday and made for the kitchen charged at the homeowner and a sheriff’s sergeant. It took a total of 10 rounds from the homeowner and sergeant to kill the bear.
Some local governments, including Aspen and Pitkin County, strengthened laws requiring bear-proof trash containers. State and local wildlife officers stepped up public-education efforts, warning people not to leave pet food outside or put out bird feeders, which attract bears, and to close and lock house and car doors.
Aspen raised its fees for leaving garbage out and not using bear-proof containers. Stephanie Dasaro of the Aspen Police Department said police have issued warnings but not many tickets. She said people are good about complying with the law once they know about it.
“I think there’s been a lot education, a lot of information out there from us and (the Division of Wildlife) and Pitkin County,” Dasaro said.
So far, Dasaro said, this summer hasn’t been as bad as 2007. But it’s been busy. The police department received 124 calls about bears, ranging from sightings to questions to encounters, from July 1 to July 27. The total was just 15 for the same period last year.
People are hoping the berries ripen soon and the bears will have plenty to eat without diving into Dumpsters, Dasaro said.
No one hopes that more than Perry Will, area wildlife manager for the Division of Wildlife. He said his officers have been working long hours responding to calls about bears.
“We’ve built in bear habitat and there are always going to be problems,” Will said.
But Will said there are steps people can take to minimize conflicts with bears and many have. There are a few people, however, who undermine their neighbors’ good efforts by being careless, he said.
And then there are bears that just don’t behave normally, such as ambling through town during the middle of the day. He said people get upset and don’t like seeing bears killed, but sometimes it’s necessary.
“We didn’t get into the wildlife profession to put bears down,” Will said. “We’re in this job because we love wildlife.”
