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Dry Weather Brings out Worst in Bears
7/3/2008

Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) wildlife managers are asking residents and vacationers to take extra care to avoid attracting hungry bears to homes, cabins, campgrounds and picnic areas.

The amount of natural food for bears is very localized in Colorado. In some higher elevations, plants got a late start because the snow cover was late to recede. In other locations, there has been no significant rainfall this year. In either case, it adds up to a shortage of natural forage for bears.

Conditions are especially dry in the Arkansas River basin including Chaffee County, Fremont County, Pueblo County, Walsenburg, Trinidad, and the Pikes Peak Region.

Without moisture, the green plants bears eat are in short supply. "There is not a lot of green grass, flowering plants, berries, or other natural foods this year," said Ron Dobson, a district wildlife manager in the Salida area.

"When we have dry years like this, the bears have to look harder for food, and in doing so often end up finding what people leave out - especially garbage," said Dobson.

Normally bears tend to avoid humans, but the interaction between bears and humans can be magnified when bears struggle to find natural food sources.

Moreover, with prime feeding time for bears still ahead in August and September, Dobson and other wildlife managers are concerned that the number of people/bear encounters could increase.

Dobson says it is ironic that Colorado's lakes, rivers, and streams are full from last winter's record snowfall. "We haven't had much precipitation around here since March. Once you get a few hundred feet away from the river it's bone dry," he said.

"The result is bears are searching for food wherever they can smell it, and in most cases that smell is coming from garbage people leave out," said Dobson. "We cannot overemphasize that people should not put their trash out until collection day. Leaving it out on the curb all night long, or in a garage with an open door, is an enticement for bears to come to a free buffet."

A study done in Arizona in 1994 discovered that putting trash cans out the morning of pickup reduced bear visits from 70 percent down to less than five percent.

Dobson recommends rinsing garbage containers regularly with ammonia or bleach to reduce odors. Homeowners and vacationers also are advised to close garage doors and lower level windows.

“Screens might keep bugs out, but a screen is insignificant to a bear,” he said. “The same goes for partially open garage doors or sliding glass doors. If a bear can get its head though an opening, it can get the rest of its body through, too.”

The DOW's goal to reduce human/bear encounters places an emphasis on informing people about the steps they need to take to minimize problems. When wildlife officers receive a complaint about a bear, they first survey the area.

"We don't just run out and set a trap every time we get a bear call," Dobson said. "We work with people to educate them about what attracted the bear in the first place and inform them about removing attractants.

"It's not too much to ask for people living in bear country to use secure trash containers, take in bird feeders, and work with their neighbors to develop a strategy to discourage bears from coming to an area," he said. "As long as we have one neighbor feeding bears and the rest of the neighborhood calling the Division of Wildlife to fix the problem, we won't accomplish anything."

“The best solution is for people to recognize that Colorado is bear country and that they must do their part to learn to live with the bruins as responsibly as we can,” he said.