As Coloradans decorate for Halloween this year, they should leave jack-o’-lanterns inside, state wildlife officials say. To humans, they’re a fun decoration and a mark of the season, but to Colorado’s hungry bears? A big, orange, high-calorie snack.
Pumpkins left in yards or displayed on porches can attract wildlife, and that is more likely this year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said.
State wildlife officials have recorded a record number of bear encounters and conflicts this year as the state grapples with the effects of extreme drought — which means fewer natural food sources for bears and other animals.
Bears are now bulking up for winter, a state of compulsive feeding known as hyperphagia, where they eat 20,000 calories a day by feasting up to 22 hours.
Though bears are facing dwindling natural food sources, as it disrupts normal behavior, spreads disease and can make wild animals comfortable around humans, which makes them more likely to attack pets and people — and thus need to be euthanized, according to CPW.
“Often, we see bird feeders bring bears into people’s yards and onto porches,” said Kris Middledorf, an area wildlife manager in Steamboat Springs. “We then see escalating conflicts with bears that have gotten close to homes then trying to or successfully gaining access to homes. It is the same story with pumpkins people put out every October.”
Pumpkins are high in calories and loaded with fiber, minerals and vitamins — making the jack-o’-lantern left on your porch an easy treat for a hungry bear.
The wildlife agency has already spotted bears snacking on pumpkins in front yards and from displays outside of grocery stores.
Itap not just bears. Deer eating pumpkins can attract mountain lions to your yard, and raccoons feasting on rotting gourds can spread disease.
That doesn’t mean Coloradans have to skip out on pumpkin carving this year. Display the jack-o’-lanterns in a window instead, or at least bring them inside at night, officials recommend.
