A family of bears had gotten “all too comfortable” and was causing “trouble” in a Colorado town, wildlife officials said.
The bears were seeking human food sources, “primarily unsecured trash,” in the small southwestern town of Durango and were “pushing the limit a bit more each day” with the cubs learning “some bad habits ,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife SW Region said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“It was time to get these bears out of town and moved somewhere far from residential areas,” the agency said.
Officials briefly tranquilized the three cubs and their mother to fit them with ear tags and check on their health. They estimated the sow is between 4 and 8 years old.
“Within 10 minutes, the bears were given a reversal drug and began to wake back up,” officials said. Photos show the tranquilized cubs lying close together in the trap before they woke up.
“After about an 85-mile drive, the sow and cubs were released into spectacular bear habitat - somewhere in the SW Region we consider to be the best bear habitat in the state where we almost never hear of these bears again,” officials said.
Video shows one of the cubs immediately charging from the trap and into the wilderness.
“The other two took some convincing,” officials said, adding “more screen grabs from the cub release, just because.”
The screengrabs show close-ups of the cubs as they run off to their new home far away from people.
The camera phone officials were using to record the bears’ release “blew over in the wind” just as the sow was released, so the agency shared still photos of her “shortly after she rumbled out of the trap” and joined her cubs.
A photo shows the sow walking off with one of her cubs following closely behind her.
“So, why did we share all of this with you? It’s not because bear videos and photos like this are what we want to be sharing,” officials said. “It’s because we want you all to help do your part to prevent bears from having to be trapped and relocated,”
Bears get into trash and find sources of food near people’s homes all too often in Colorado, officials said.
“We saw them in Crestview. Sadly, they were getting well fed there,” someone said on X. “Thank you for keeping everyone safe - humans and bears alike.”
It’s especially important as bears try to bulk up for winter hibernation throughout the fall, officials said.
“Black bears in Colorado are entering hyperphagia and will spend up to 20 hours a day trying to search out and eat as much food as possible as they fatten up for winter,” the agency said in a news release. “In the coming months, it is critical that people are vigilant and proactive in removing all attractants from outside homes and campsites in order to prevent conflicts and encounters with black bears.”
Hyperphagia is “an increase in feeding activity driven by biological need” during which hungry bears need to eat around 20,000 calories per day — or the equivalent of “20 chicken sandwiches, 10 large orders of french fries, 10 soft drinks and 10 milkshakes” in fast food terms, officials said.
That amount of food allows bears to “pack on the pounds to build up their fat reserves to survive the winter,” officials said.
“Over half of bear incident reports in 2023 occurred in the months of August, September, and October,” officials said. “And as bears begin this annual quest to prepare for winter and hunt for food, Coloradoans may see more bear activity in urban areas.”
The most common bear attractants that ultimately lead to encounters are: “trash, bird seed, pet food, and barbecue grills,” officials said.
“When bears become too comfortable around people, they can destroy property or even become a threat to human safety,” officials said.
To bear-proof your home:
Keep garbage well secured and only put it out the morning of trash pickup.
Use ammonia to clean garbage cans regularly to keep them from smelling like food.
Keep garage doors closed and store pet food or stock feed indoors.
Use bear-resistant trash cans or dumpsters.
Rather than using bird feeders, attract birds naturally with flowers and water baths. Don’t hang bird feeders between April 15 and Nov. 15, when bears are most active.
Don’t let bears become comfortable around your home, and scare them off if you see one by yelling, throwing things and making loud noises.
Bears are attracted to the smell of rotting food, so secure compost piles.
Clean grills after every use and clean up thoroughly after cookouts.
Don’t allow fruit from trees to rot on the ground.
Talk to neighbors and kids about taking precautions to avoid attracting bears.
While traveling or camping:
Lock your doors overnight and when you’re away from home.
Keep ground-level windows closed when you’re away.
Don’t keep any food in your car, and roll up windows and lock doors.
Lock all food and coolers in a car while car-camping.
Keep your camp clean in general, whether you’re at a campground or in the backcountry.
In the backcountry, hang food 100 feet or more from your campsite and don’t bring any food into your tent.
Cook far from your tent and wash dishes thoroughly.
To protect chickens, bees and livestock:
Keep all animals in a fully-covered enclosure, especially after dark.
Use or build electric fencing if possible.
Store livestock feed indoors.
Keep animal enclosures clean to cut down on odors.
Soak rags in ammonia or Pine-Sol and hang the soaked rags around the enclosure to deter bears.
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