In Hotels, Cars, Sewers: Bears On The Move In Colorado [WATCH]
BEAR COUNTRY, CO – In Colorado, bears are on the move at the end of summer. Between now and around Thanksgiving, bears go on a pre-hibernation eating binge called “hyperphagia.” To build up their fat reserves for a long winter’s nap, Colorado Parks and Wildlife say, black bears need to wolf down 20,000 calories a day in a feeding frenzy when they switch for a summer diet of “insects, leaves, and flowers of broad-leafed plants” to a higher fat and carbohydrate diet of fruits and nuts, and … garbage.
Bears have been captured on video this year in Colorado breaking into human areas looking for a fat-building meal.
Bear visits luxury mountain hotel
Last week, Estes Park’s historic Stanley Hotel had a furry visitor who wandered the lobby and jumped on the coffee table. “Late night visitor from the wildside visits our hotel lobby,” the clerk posted on Facebook. “We’ll make an exception to the rule about jumping on the furniture.”
Bear trashes car interior
In Conifer, a car owner found out how kids can really trash your car when a cub accidentally got locked in a Subaru. Turns out, it’s easy for a smart bear to open an unlocked car door and get inside. It’s much harder for them to let themselves out. In this case, the devastation was epic.
Bear pops out of manhole
In west Colorado Springs, a 250-lb. bear, possibly lured by berries in a neighbor’s brush pile,got stuck in a sewer drain. CPW agents caught him on video as he popped out of a manhole.
Bear visits Boulder schoolyard
In Boulder, an elementary school went on “lockout” status Wednesday because a bear was spotted near Flat Irons School.
“Curious, intelligent and very resourceful”
“Today, bears are sharing space with a growing human population,” the CPW’s Bear Aware reports say. “Curious, intelligent, and very resourceful, black bears will explore all possible food sources. If they find food near homes, campgrounds, vehicles, or communities, they’ll come back for more. Bears will work hard to get the calories they need, and can easily damage property, vehicles, and homes.”
But bears that become aggressive going after an easy meal in a car, dumpster or home must often be destroyed, CPW says.
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Just because wildfires across the state this year have taken away some natural food sources, don’t think you should “help” bears by leaving food out.
“Wildlife, including bears, are very resilient during times of habitat stress,” said Jerrie McKee, district wildlife manager with CPW. “In most cases, animals affected by wildfires or other stressors do not require human intervention to find food. If you have concerns about a bear or other animal, call your local CPW office, but don’t take matters into your own hands – there is never a good reason for people to feed wildlife.”
If you live in bear country, or have heard that bears are in the area, here are some tips to bear-proof your home.
Keep Bears Out
Get Rid of Attractants
Teach Bears They’re Not Welcome
For additional information, see CPW’s Living with Bears page or visit cpw.state.co.us.
Image via Russell Hons/CSM/Shutterstock
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