Dan Thompson had a close encounter with wildlife Thursday morning as he trolled on official Denver Water business.
“Dan and his crew were on a boat doing some surveying at the bottom of the reservoir, toward the south inlet where the Platte River meets Cheesman, when they came around the bend and saw the mama bear and two little cubs hanging out,” said Jimmy Luthye, spokesman for Denver Water.
The bears, which were just “hanging out, drinking some water” at the reservoir southwest of Deckers, immediately got spooked by the boat, causing the mother to scramble up the steep, uneven canyon face. She went so fast that the cubs lagged behind, giving Thompson — Denver Water’s survey manager — just enough time to take out his camera and fire off a few shots.
“You can see the mom going ‘Where did you guys go?’ and the cubs scrambling for her like ‘Wait for me!’ ” Luthye said.
Bear cubs spotted near ! They're in the distance, and they're adorable.
— Denver Water (@DenverWater)
It’s not unusual to see increased bear activity this time of year, as the weather begins to cool, days get shorter and animal instincts turn toward fattening up for the winter months, according to the . Winter hibernation can begin as early as October, and some bears are inclined to begin gathering food far from their usual stomping grounds.
These bears seemed to be in “foraging mode,” Luthye said, based on other sightings from the reservoir’s caretaker.
“He’s spotted them a couple times toward the south end of the reservoir, which is more secluded from public access,” Luthye said. “But there hasn’t been a ton of sightings, and being on a boat, this team was able to see more than most members of the public.”
