Data proves trash attracts bears

There were more than 5,300 bear calls in Colorado in 2019 as the state instituted a modernized tracking system to determine how the large, furry mammals are interacting with humans.

The most common reason bears come into contact with humans: trash. One-third of all bear reports to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife involved refuse, by far the leading cause of bear habituation.

“Bears that find food around your home or in your community often lose their natural wariness of people,” Jason Clay, a parks and wildlife spokesman, said in a news release. “Once they find garbage, the next place they may look to for more food is inside your home.”

The state also tracked 517 reports of bears entering people’s homes, with another 303 vehicle break-ins. Bird feeders led 397 bear reports.

But trash, by far, was the leading cause of all reports of bears in Colorado, with 1,728 sightings accounting for a third of them.

Many of the bear reports that make the news involve destructive acts by the large animals, but CPW noted that 92 bears were euthanized last year, making up only 1.7% of the year’s reported bear conflicts.

The new system for the first time streamlines data from across the state, helping wildlife officers better quantify issues. In the past, reports were segmented. Now, wildlife officers can upload reports directly through an app, which puts all of them in one place.

“A huge portion of knowing about these reports is that we can curb small problems from growing into big problems,” Clay said in an interview.

While the data provides new insight into how people can avoid bear interactions, CPW notes that

“there are likely an equal number of human-bear interactions that go unreported.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offered several tips to keep bears from invading homes, stealing food or making a new dent in that family minivan:

• Communities or HOAs should institute bear-focused trash ordinances. Bear-proof containers and Dumpsters should be cleaned regularly with ammonia or bleach, while bear-proof enclosures or electric fences keep animals from getting your unwanted scraps.

• Avoid placing bird feeders outside from March through the end of November. “Letting your bird feeders turn into bear feeders teaches bears that it’s safe to come close to people and homes looking for food,” CPW said.

• Keep car doors and windows closed and locked if you park outside. Do not keep anything with an odor in the vehicle, including candy, gum, air fresheners, trash, lotions and lip balms.

• Screens won’t keep bears out of your home. Install sturdy gates or bars on lower-level windows, and install round doorknobs that bears can’t pull or push open.