Mama bear, two cubs spotted looking for food in Manitou

(MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo.) — A mama bear and two cubs were caught on surveillance sniffing around a Manitou Springs home for food on Monday, May 27, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is taking the opportunity to remind those in mountain communities and beyond to stay bear aware.

CPW posted about the encounter on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, with surveillance photos showing a sizeable mama bear and her two cubs around 9:40 p.m. on Monday.

Now that spring has sprung and bears are out of hibernation for the winter, they’ll be out with babies looking for food. CPW said the best way to protect yourself, your animals, and your property is to secure your garbage and keep anything that smells like food locked up.

CPW provides tips for locals on bearproofing your home, which can be found here . Some of the most important steps are also the easiest:

• Never feed wildlife
• Keep trash locked up, and be responsible about bringing your cans in after pickup
• Make sure bird feeders are out of reach or bring them inside at night
• Keep bear-accessible windows and doors locked, including car doors
• Don’t leave food, trash, coolers, air fresheners or anything that smells in your car

If a bear comes near your home, make as much noise as possible to scare it away without approaching it. If it won’t leave, call your local CPW office, or 911 after hours. CPW said this is not only for your safety, but also the bear’s.

“We don’t want them comfortable around people,” said CPW in its social media post. “We need to teach them to stay away from humans.”

Bears that learn not to fear humans can put people in danger, as well as themselves. A bear that is captured too many times near humans must be relocated, and in extreme encounters, euthanized.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.