Colorado bear sightings double as drought, wildfires drive hungry animals into cities

Colorado neighborhoods are seeing more bears, with state wildlife officials reporting that encounter numbers have nearly doubled from a year ago. 

The increase comes as drought and wildfire damage reduce food in the animals' habitat, pushing them to search for meals, water, and shelter in urban areas.

Here's what to know

According to Colorado wildlife officials, dry weather and fire-scarred habitat are leaving bears with fewer of their usual food sources, so more of them are turning up in populated places. 

CBS News Colorado is now reporting that in neighborhoods across the state, unsecured garbage, pet food, birdseed, and other attractants around homes are also providing the easy calories the bears are looking for.

More sightings mean more opportunities for property damage, traffic hazards, frightened residents, and dangerous close encounters for both people and animals.

More background

Hotter, drier conditions and more severe wildfires are becoming more common across many parts of the West, while continued development near bear habitat puts more neighborhoods directly along the routes animals use when resources run short.

When forests and mountain habitats cannot provide enough food, adaptable animals, including black bears, do what many species do under stress: move toward the most reliable resources they can find.

For bears, that often means searching human spaces. A single overflowing trash can, accessible compost pile, or outdoor pet bowl can teach an animal that neighborhoods offer a much easier meal than struggling through drought-stricken habitat.

Conflict between people and wild animals often grows when habitat disruption, food scarcity, and human expansion converge. 

BBC Future has reported that while not every encounter turns aggressive, repeated contact between humans and wildlife raises the odds of injury, property damage, and the possibility that a bear will have to be relocated or killed after becoming too comfortable around people.

At the community level, Colorado officials can reduce conflict by expanding public education, improving access to bear-resistant trash containers, and increasing reminders during peak bear activity periods. Local governments and neighborhoods can also help by tightening waste rules and encouraging residents to remove food sources before wildlife finds them.

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