DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is seeing an increase in bear activity in the Denver metro area over the last month-and-a-half, particularly on the southwest corridor. This activity is not uncommon or new to the densely populated Front Range, but CPW would like to take this opportunity to educate city residents on bear activity and to answer some frequently asked questions.
Last Friday night, Oct. 8, CPW wildlife officers relocated a bear out of the 2400 block of South Jackson Street in Denver. That is not the first time a bear has been relocated from the city proper, as wildlife officer Jerrie McKee will explain in our question and answer session below.
The map at the top of the article shows bear activity in the Denver metro area since Sept. 1. Sighting reports are picking up after being relatively quiet, at least compared to a normal year, from springtime through August. The increased activity is to be expected, as bears are in hyperphagia, the fall period when bruins are preparing for hibernation and spend up to 20 hours a day on the hunt for 20,000 or more daily calories.
“Bears can show up in unusual locations, and generate lots of calls to our offices, at any time of year but especially in the fall as untapped food sources become more appealing,” said CPW Northeast Region Manager Mark Leslie. “We evaluate every call based on the location and behavior of a bear and will relocate or remove bears when appropriate and feasible.
“When we move one, there are very few places on the Front Range of Colorado that will not put them in contact with humans or the potential for conflict.”
