Last September, Eric Mosher was unpacking his car after returning home from a trip to Mexico when he experienced a bear encounter he will never forget.
“This bear cub came running down the sidewalk and bolted through the open front door of my place,” said Mosher.
From outside his Vail Valley apartment, Mosher could hear the animal rustling around as he placed a call to the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
“We had some steaks sitting on the counter, and he jumped up and ate them. Then he figured out the fridge,” Mosher said.
Eventually wildlife officers arrived, and the bear was removed from the premises.
Fall is the time of year when bear/human contact peaks. For both, these interactions can be frightening or even fatal. But it is definitely more likely that a bear will have to pay a high price for any interaction.
“There’s no doubt that there are more interactions between people and bears than there used to be,” said Colorado Division of Wildlife Manager Craig Wescoatt. “There are people where there didn’t used to be people, or bird feeders and trash cans in areas where they didn’t use to be.”
Wescoatt said local bears are entering their hyperphagia period, the time when they fatten up for their winter hibernation.
Read the rest of this story, including tips on avoiding bear encounters and how firefighters found a bear drinking from their toilet, at .
