SANTA FE — Before sacking out for the winter, some New Mexico bears are looking to put on the pounds. They especially like the food and hospitality that Santa Fe offers.
State Game and Fish Officers were busy this past week darting and capturing bears in Santa Fe and as far north as Wagon Mound. Animal experts said it isn’t unusual to see bears in northern New Mexico towns in the fall, even in cities the size of Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Lance Cherry, a public information officer for the Department of Game and Fish, said the Santa Fe office receives five to 10 calls a week about bears in the autumn and twice that many in the spring, when bears are hungry after a long winter’s nap.
On Thursday, Game and Fish officers caught a 400-pound- plus male bear in Wagon Mound that somehow got stuck between two houses. Bears use arroyos and wooded open spaces as their pathways to town, often going unnoticed.
In the fall, they’re looking for trash, birdseed, fruit, dog food and any other goodies so they can pack on the pounds before winter hibernation. The Associated Press
