Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Luke Clancy spotted the bloated bear behind a Durango home on Delwood Avenue on Saturday, according to a news release from the agency. The bear was moaning and barely able to move, state wildlife officials said.

Three wildlife officers darted the bear to assess it and ultimately decided to euthanize the animal, according to the release.

When officers performed a necropsy, an autopsy for animals, they discovered the bear’s stomach and upper intestine were completely blocked with trash, state wildlife officials said in the release. The trash included entire garbage bags and cleaning wipes.

“This is the sad reality of bears eating trash,” Clancy said. “It����ap a pretty horrible way to die for a wild bear that we hadn’t seen involved in any conflict or nuisance behavior in all these years.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials last spotted this bear in 2012, when it was caught during a , Clancy said. He estimated the bear was 18 years old.

The plastic trash was so compacted in the bear’s upper intestine that the animal would no longer have been able to digest food and would have slowly starved to death, District Wildlife Manager Stephanie Taylor said in the release.

State wildlife officials believe this bear had broken into several nearby homes earlier this summer, according to the release. The bear matched the size and coloration of the bear captured on video by homeowners.

“We are in the midst of a uniquely bad bear year that will likely only get worse before it gets better,” Clancy said. “If I can pass anything along to our community, it would first and foremost be to stay safe, and second, to keep bears safe. Securing trash and other attractants assures both.”

Residents should never feed or approach bears, should secure all food and garbage, should remove bird feeders when bears are active and should clean and store grills after use, state wildlife officials said.

Deputies responded to a call about a bear at River Run apartments in Eagle-Vail, about halfway between Vail and Avon off of Interstate 70, at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 24, according to the sheriff’s office.

The deputies found a group of about 40 people gathered near a sow and two cubs to watch and record them, and after dispersing the crowd tried to haze, or scare, the bears away from the area.

Colorado bear encounters have nearly doubled over 2025

Hazing is a way to get wild animals to leave residential areas by making them afraid of humans so they stay away from places where they don’t belong, like schools and backyards.

“Deputies made this decision because the bears were not fazed by humans, people continued to gather, and bears had been reported in the area repeatedly, seemingly attracted by the apartment's trash,” sheriff’s officials wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

One week earlier, on Aug. 17, a bear with two cubs attacked a man at the same apartment complex as he was leaving the laundry room, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. It����ap unknown if it was the same bear that later charged deputies, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies yelled at the bears to try to move them, which caused the sow to charge a deputy. When the yelling didn’t work, a deputy fired a rubber bullet to push her away from the apartments and toward the river, which hit her on her back leg.

The bear started pacing and, as the deputy moved back to put a boulder between them, the bear charged the deputy, the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff’s officials published a video that showed parts of the encounter captured on the deputy’s body-worn camera, including the bear running at the deputy and the cubs following her after she was shot.

Deputies stayed at the scene to make sure no one approached the cubs, and CPW staff arrived at the scene to capture and relocate the cubs just before 9 p.m. The cubs are receiving care at a CPW rehabilitation center in Silt, the sheriff’s office said.

“We are heartbroken that a bear was killed in self-defense,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement. “We do not take lightly the responsibility we have in Eagle County to cohabitate with wildlife or the duty we have to protect both citizens and visitors.”

Colorado is seeing a significant increase in black bear sightings and conflicts because of extreme drought that's cut into their natural food supply as the animals enter , when bears try to eat as much food as possible before hibernation. Bears will feed for up to 22 hours a day to consume the 20,000 daily calories they need to survive hibernation, according to CPW.

CPW officials have euthanized 294 bears and relocated 98 others since Jan. 1 through the end of August, more than triple the number of euthanasias and relocations during the same time frame in 2025. Bear sightings and conflicts have also more than doubled, according to the agency.

One wolf, part of the Copper Creek Pack, was connected to four depredations that happened in July, August and September in Pitkin County, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials announced Tuesday. The other wolf, part of the Three Creeks Pack in Rio Blanco County, was connected to four other depredations that happened in August and September.

Both wolves were uncollared males, according to the state wildlife agency.

Livestock owners affected by the depredations had tried to minimize conflict by monitoring land using cameras, deploying range riders to increase human presence and hazing the wolves, state wildlife officials said.

“CPW’s field staff in Northwest Colorado is working hard to implement conflict minimization tools and techniques to help reduce wolf-livestock conflict in the region,” CPW Director Laura Clellan said in the release. “We remain committed to both Colorado’s livestock producers and efforts to support our growing wolf population.”

The state has killed three other wolves suspected of injuring or killing livestock. Agency policy states that CPW staff can legally kill a wolf if it is connected to chronic depredations, meaning a wolf attacked livestock at least three times within 30 days.

CPW has released 25 wolves into the state since the reintroduction of the species began in 2023. More than 19 wolf pups were born in the state in the springs of 2024 and 2025, along with an unknown number born this spring.

Since 2024, 19 wolves have died, though not all were relocated from elsewhere, and some were offspring of the reintroduced wolves.

The person, an adult, was napping in a patio chair when they noticed the bear approaching, according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife release. Not wanting to startle the bear, the person stayed motionless as the bear huffed and popped its jaw. The bear reached out and scraped the person’s knee. A neighbor then deployed bear spray to scare the bear away.

The person had minor injuries and didn’t seek professional medical treatment, the state wildlife agency said.

Bear encounters have spiked across the state this year as drought drives bears to more populated areas in search of food. Nearly 300 bears had been euthanized this year as of Aug. 31, more than triple those euthanized during the same period last year.

CPW did not say whether the bear in Thursday’s encounter had been euthanized.

The state wildlife agency announced Thursday that it had killed 294 bears and relocated 98 others from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31. That’s up from 83 euthanizations and 33 relocations during the same period last year.

CPW euthanizes or relocates bears that have been hit by vehicles, attacked humans, entered homes or are suffering from poor health, the agency said. In August, the agency euthanized a bear that attacked and injured a fisherman on a Jefferson County trail.

Bear sightings and conflicts have increased dramatically this year as drought drives bears closer to humans in search of food. CPW has received 8,672 reports of bear sightings and incidents as of Aug. 31. That����ap up from 3,680 reports in the same period in 2025, and more than three times the five-year average, CPW said.

CPW expects bear encounters to increase. Nearly half of the bear incidents in 2025 occurred in August, September and October, when bears are in hyperphagia, a natural phase in which they spend most of the day searching for food to build up fat reserves for the winter.

This year, bears have been spotted in 41 of Colorado’s 64 counties, according to .

A few times a week, I reach into the deep freezer for locally sourced beef, fish, or game meat. I’m grateful for the nourishment deer, elk, antelope, and wild fowl provide and for the hunter friends who donate the meat. One of several reasons I am voting for the is to protect the ability of these Colorado hunters and anglers to put meat on the supper table.

Colorado’s 300,000 hunters and 950,000 anglers don’t just provide sustenance for their families and friends; they benefit the state in other ways. In addition to providing $3.25 billion in economic impact and support for thousands of jobs, hunting and fishing fund wildlife conservation through licenses, tags, and taxes, and help the state manage wild animal populations.

Without management, game species are vulnerable to starvation and disease – nature’s way of population control. The initiative does not forbid the use of secondary management tools like relocation and birth control; it just ensures that hunting and fishing remain the preferred means of responsible management.

In fact, the initiative does not limit the authority of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) or the General Assembly to regulate hunting and fishing “for sound scientific wildlife conservation and management, public safety, or to preserve the future of hunter and fishing opportunities for all species statewide.” They will continue to determine seasons, number of licenses and other licensing requirements and safety guidelines. Trespassing on private property or the hunting of non-game species, endangered species, or any species prohibited by federal law will still be illegal.

Colorado isn’t the only state considering adopting such an amendment at this time. The Oregon Attorney General began drafting a similar initiative after voters turned in the requisite number of signatures. Earlier this year, activists threatened to introduce a measure to criminalize hunting and fishing.

While activists have not threatened to directly eliminate fishing and hunting, groups representing sportsmen and women in Colorado are worried the CPW Commission, the governor-appointed citizen board that oversees the agency’s policies over parks and wildlife, could favor activists’ interests in the future over those of hunters and fishermen and women depending on who is appointed.

During the last session, a Colorado Senate committee refused to confirm two of the governor’s appointees to the sportsmen-designated seats because of such concerns. What will happen if the chamber doesn’t do its due diligence next time? A constitutional amendment is needed to ensure that Colorado fishermen and women and hunters continue to have a seat at the table.

Rick Enstrom, who served eight years on the CPW commission and three terms as chairman, told me he is concerned: “Generations of families that hunt and fish for enjoyment and sustenance have been backed into a corner by nameless, faceless political newcomers opposed to this traditional lifestyle.”

My friend is voting for the amendment not just to preserve the tradition of hunting and fishing for the future, but to maintain funding provided by hunters and anglers for conservation, and to ensure “wildlife in Colorado is properly managed by biologists and professionals.”

I will be joining him. Some of my fondest childhood memories with my dad are of hunting pheasant and fishing for trout. I, too, want to ensure the next generation will have the same opportunities. In the meantime, this amendment will protect me, even though I neither hunt or fish (I’m terrible at it), as I ditch factory farms for ethical and sustainable sources of sustenance.

Krista Kafer is a Sunday Denver Post columnist.

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The sewage is expected to reach the John Martin Reservoir State Park in Bent County on Monday morning, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife advised people to avoid swimming, wading, tubing, paddleboarding and fishing in the reservoir.

The sewage spill began Wednesday at Pueblo’s wastewater treatment plant, which is just east of Interstate 25. The spill, which happened when a patch on a wastewater pipe failed, was stopped on Thursday after it was discovered. Officials estimated 4.25 million gallons of raw sewage leaked into the Arkansas River before the pipe was fixed.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported on Friday that dangerously high levels of bacteria, including E. coli, were detected in water samples taken from the river.

People and animals should avoid any contact with river water from where Fountain Creek enters the Arkansas River in Pueblo through John Martin Reservoir in Hasty, including Blende, Avondale, Fowler, Manzanola, Rocky Ford, La Junta and Las Animas.

Anyone who comes into contact with the river should immediately wash their hands and skin with soap and clean water; remove wet clothing and wash it separately; and contact a health care provider if they develop symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, fever or other illnesses.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture issued for contaminated irrigation water used by produce farmers downstream from Pueblo. Growers must ensure any water used on crops before, after or during a harvest is of “adequate quality,” the alert said. The Arkansas River provides water to farms and ranches between Pueblo and the state line in southeastern Colorado.

Colorado has notified the Kansas Department of Public Health and Environment so that the agency can warn its Arkansas River water users.

The sewage spill is happening at John Martin state park as the reservoir already has a bloom, according to a CPW news release. The blue-green algae is toxic and can cause skin rashes, respiratory ailments and gastrointestinal distress.

The reservoir was recently downgraded to a yellow caution level for algae-producing cyanobacteria and toxins. Regular testing continues.

Lake Hasty, a separate water body at the park, is closed to swimming, wading and other recreational activities because of the algae. That lake will not be affected by the sewage spill.

The woman told CPW officers she awoke around 4:30 a.m. to find the adult bear in the kitchen on the second floor of her Estes Park home on the west side of town.

After the incident, the bear left the home through the first-floor window, after which the woman called 911 and Larimer County Sheriff’s deputies responded. No bear was found at the scene. The woman then sought medical treatment for her abdominal injuries.

CPW has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to assist in locating and trapping the bear.

“We have not located the bear involved yet,” said Kara Van Hoose, public information officer for CPW, on Friday afternoon. “In accordance with CPW policy, bears responsible for attacks on humans represent a public safety threat due to dangerous behavior. They are lethally removed.”

The incident comes as CPW has reported unusually heavy bear activity in Estes Park. Multiple bears have broken into vehicles and occupied homes in the area over the past several days.

In addition, several bear attacks have occurred across the state in recent weeks, including on a fisherman near the South Platte River, a man sleeping in a park in Aspen, a woman in her home in Steamboat Springs, a man outside his apartment in Eagle-Vail, and a hiker in Snowmass.

CPW said that it has received over 6,000 bear reports this year, nearly double the number from a year ago. Residents are encouraged to report bear activity and conflicts to CPW at 303-291-7227 during normal business hours. After hours, residents should call their local sheriff’s office, or the Colorado State Patrol by dialing CSP (277).

If under immediate threat, call 911, officials said.

“As we continue to navigate this extraordinary bear year, please continue to be vigilant in removing food and trash that may attract bears to your property,” CPW Area Wildlife Manager Jason Duetsch said in the release. “Wildlife officers are working tirelessly to respond to an unprecedented number of bear reports, and we are counting on the community to help mitigate conflict.”

CPW said the unusually high number of bear conflicts are occurring largely because drought has reduced natural food sources.

Bears also are entering hyperphagia, a period before denning when they eat heavily to build up energy reserves. CPW said bears can seek as many as 20,000 calories a day during this period, increasing the likelihood they will take risks to find food in neighborhoods and other populated areas.

CPW recommends the following strategies to stay bear safe, according to a release:

• Stay alert and stay together — Pay attention to your surroundings and stay together. Walk, hike, jog, or cycle with others when possible. Keep kids within sight and close by. Leave earbuds at home and make noise periodically so bears can avoid you.

• Leave no trash or food scraps — Double-bag your food when hiking and pack out all food and trash. Don’t burn food scraps or trash in your fire ring or grill. Leaving scraps, wrappers, or even “harmless” items like apple cores teaches bears to associate trails and campsites with food.

• Keep dogs leashed — Letting dogs chase or bark at bears is asking for trouble; don’t force a bear to defend itself. Keep your dogs leashed at all times or leave them at home.

• Camp safely — Set up camp away from dense cover and natural food sources, and cook as far from your tent as possible. Do not store food, trash, clothes worn when cooking, or toiletries in your tent. Store in approved bear-resistant containers or out of sight in a locked vehicle or suspended at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet from any part of the tree. (Local regulations vary).

• Know what to do if you see a black bear — If you see a bear before it notices you, don’t approach. Stand still, enjoy, then quietly move away. If a bear sees you, back away slowly. Never run; running may trigger a chase response. If a bear approaches, hold your ground, wave your arms and yell “Hey Bear” until it leaves. Stay with your group. If it keeps approaching, use bear spray. If a black bear makes contact with you, do not play dead; fight back aggressively.

• Carry bear spray  and know how to use it – Bear spray is proven to be the easiest and most effective way to deter a bear that threatens you. It doesn’t work like bug repellent, so never spray your tent, campsite or belongings.

The wolves’ territory changed little from last month and stretched generally from Gunnison to Vail and Meeker, according to .

Wolf pups born this spring have started traveling short distances with other pack members, CPW officials said. The pups are now about four months old.

The agency’s biologists are monitoring four reproducing packs and attempting to ascertain how many pups each pack added. An average wolf litter contains four to six pups.

After 2025 saw a flurry of zebra mussel detections in the Colorado River system, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s weekly sampling this summer has led to zero new discoveries of the invasive species.

This does not mean, however, that zebra mussels — notorious for their prolific reproduction and destruction of ecosystems and infrastructure — are gone from the basin or that the battle to curb their spread is over.

When zebra mussels establish a presence in a body of water, they multiply quickly. A single zebra mussel can produce up to 30,000 veligers — their microscopic, free-floating larvae — in one spawning event and up to one million in a year. As they root and attach to hard surfaces — like docks, rocks and pipes — and their density increases, they can cause significant damage and clogging to water infrastructure.

The species was initially detected in Colorado in 2022 and in the Colorado River in 2024. Increased sampling and inspections in 2025 led to numerous detections across the Western Slope.

Read more at .