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A black bear sitting in a tree on Sept. 29, 2021 in a Littleton neighborhood just north of the S. Platte Canyon Rd. exit off of C-470 (photo courtesy of Jason Clay/CPW)

DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife received 3,701 reports of sightings and conflicts with bears in 2021, which was a 28 percent decrease from the average number of reports over the previous two years in the Centennial State.

Bear activity varied across the state in 2021, mainly attributed to weather and drought patterns in Colorado for most of the spring, summer and into fall. Over 90 percent of a bear’s natural diet is grasses, berries, fruits, nuts and plants – native crops all dependant on moisture.

“One of the biggest things that determines what level of bear activity we are going to see as far as human-bear conflicts is whether we get good monsoonal summer moisture,” said Adrian Archuleta, Area Wildlife Manager for CPW out of Durango. “That is really critical in order to make the berries and acorns pop. In years where we get good moisture and the food mast is readily available and abundant, we don’t tend to have as much interactions and conflict. In years where it is very dry or we have a freeze event, a late frost, it can be very detrimental.”

Listen to the Colorado Outdoors Podcast episode with Archuleta talking about bears in Colorado

On the eastern side of the Continental Divide, where moisture was plentiful over the majority of winter, spring and early summer, CPW’s northeast and southeast regions saw a large decrease in the number of bear reports. The southeast saw a decline of 39.8 percent in bear calls from the average of the two previous years (2019 and 2020) while the northeast region of Colorado saw a 38.2 percent decrease.

The southwest region also had a big reduction in bear reports in 2021 compared to the average of the two previous years (51.2 percent decrease), but the northwest, where much of the region was in severe drought, was up. The 1,834 bear reports filed from the northwest in 2021 was 192 more than in 2020, but was also fewer than the 2,146 on record for 2019.

Courtesy the U.S. Drought Monitor

In 2019, CPW launched a new tracking system to help wildlife managers track and quantify bear activity and conflicts across the state. The data derived from this system is utilized to see the overall picture, trends and identify sources of conflict on a localized, regional and statewide level. Since its implementation on April 1, 2019, CPW has recorded 14,013 reports of sightings and conflicts with bears, of which nearly ⅓ are traced back to bears getting into trash.

[WATCH] Progression map showing reported bear activity across Colorado in 2021

The data from the annual bear cycle is helpful in identifying the sources of conflict, because that varies across the state. 

Bears trying to access trash is the leading cause of conflict. Other constant sources of conflict include birdfeeders, livestock, bears accessing open garages and other human originated items that are left unsecured. These could all easily be reduced if the public takes some simple steps around their homes and properties to prevent bears from accessing them.

“We need help from local communities to develop strategies to secure garbage and other attractants across bear habitat,” said Kristin Cannon, Deputy Regional Manager for CPW’s Northeast region. “Ultimately, it will also require individuals to take some responsibility and follow proper guidelines on living appropriately with bears to protect them.”

One concern CPW is aware of from the public is a reluctance to report bear activity over of a belief that it will lead to the bear being put down. 

Data shows that of the 14,013 reports wildlife managers have received on bears in the last three years, only 2.3 percent of those led to euthanization. 

When CPW is made aware, especially when conflicts first begin, wildlife officers can educate the community, make site visits to homes to help them secure attractants and can haze bears in an attempt to reinforce their natural fear of humans. In specific circumstances, wildlife officers can attempt relocating bears out of conflict areas to alleviate safety concerns or before that animal’s behavior escalates to a dangerous level that may require euthanization. In the last three years, CPW has relocated 213 bears from sites of conflict, but wildlife officers stress that relocation is not a fix-all solution.

The data below is on the number of bears euthanized and relocated annually by CPW. The euthanization numbers released in prior years have been updated from what has been previously reported, as internal auditing each spring quantifies all sources of bear mortality in Colorado. These figures are based on these reports reviewed by CPW’s terrestrial section as of April 1 annually, so the 2021 figures could alter from what is reported here after the section has the opportunity to confirm the data.

2021: 66 euthanized, 51 relocated
2020: 158 euthanized, 118 relocated
2019: 101 euthanized, 44 relocated
2018: 79 euthanized, 24 relocated 
2017: 190 euthanized, 109 relocated
2016: 66 euthanized, 16 relocated
2015: 115 euthanized, 40 relocated

Wildlife managers estimate that Colorado has between 17,000-20,000 bears and that the population is stable and growing. Black bear is the only species of bear in the state, however these bruins can be brown, blond, cinnamon and black in color.

To learn more about bears and what you can do to reduce conflicts, please visit us online by clicking here.

Photos below:
Left: Map of bear activity in Colorado in 2021
Right: A bear up a tree in Castle Rock on Sept. 16, 2021 (courtesy of Jason Clay/CPW)

A mountain lion was reported under this porch in Boulder on Sunday morning (photo by Jason Clay/CPW)

BOULDER, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers, with a helping hand from Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks (OSMP) and Boulder Police Animal Protection Officers, removed a mountain lion that was under a porch at a residence on 23rd Street and Panorama Ave. Sunday morning.

Homeowners reported the mountain lion at 7:30 a.m. right after seeing the cat. Their dog alerted the family that something was in the backyard underneath the decking that had roughly only a foot of clearance from the ground. The homeowner went to see what it was, thinking it was possibly a raccoon that they often find in the area, but upon looking with a flashlight noticed it was a mountain lion and called authorities.

OSMP Rangers and a Boulder PD Animal Protection Officer were the first to arrive on-scene. Once CPW Wildlife Officer Tyler Asnicar arrived, he tranquilized the mountain lion and they pulled it out from under the porch just before 10 a.m.

The mountain lion was relocated and released in a remote area in southwest Larimer County by 1 p.m.

It was a sub-adult male mountain lion, in good body condition, weighing approximately 115-120 pounds.

Asnicar described the various circumstances that come into play when looking at relocating a mountain lion. Given the time of day and how this lion was in a confined space that created a safe opportunity to attempt to tranquilize it, the decision was made to move it out of the area.

“One factor we look at is location when we get cats that come into town,” Asnicar said. “This one was pretty far east in Boulder in a populated area and it is not a good situation to have a big predator like that close to so many people. It is better for the people and the cat to try to move it. Relocation was our best approach in this case.”

Mountain lion activity is not new in Boulder and is to be expected. Since Jan. 15, CPW has had 17 reports of mountain lions in the City of Boulder, not including Sunday’s call that led to this relocation.

“Leading up to this over the past couple weeks, we’ve had several pets taken in town by a sub-adult lion, probably siblings in town,” Asnicar said. “They’ve been spotted a lot in north Boulder. This may or may not have been one of those cats, but increased winter activity is fairly typical as they follow their prey base down, and particularly the mule deer that move into lower elevations this time of year. The cats concentration around the western edge of town and that leads to an increase in sightings and probably led to this cat being in town looking for something to eat.”

CPW advises residents to learn what to do should they encounter any of the various wild animals that utilize this densely populated urban area.

“Especially in Boulder, always be aware, but don’t be worried,” Asnicar said, speaking specifically about mountain lions being in Boulder. “Cats are going to come and go, it is not a new thing and it isn’t going to go away, so know that if you are out and about in town you have a chance of coming upon a mountain lion or other predators as well like bears, coyotes and foxes. So keep an eye on your pets, keep an eye on your kids and teach them what to do if they were to encounter a mountain lion or bear.”

People can learn more about mountain lions or other wildlife by visiting CPW’s Living with Wildlife section of its website. 

If residents do spot a mountain lion in town, they are asked to report it directly to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. That can be accomplished by calling CPW’s Denver office at 303-291-7227 if during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or by calling Colorado State Patrol at 303-239-4501 if outside of normal business hours. Timely reports are critical, especially when it is an active sighting of a mountain lion and not one spotted on a security or trail camera from days before.