Bears near N. Academy! (homes, neighborhoods, safety)

[Sonic_Spork]

I'm on Nextdoor, and I have been seeing a lot of posts about either one very active bear, or some number of bears, being seen in yards in the N. Academy & Montebello area and nearby neighborhoods. I think that folks usually expect the bigger wildlife, like bears and mountain lions, to stay on the west side of I-25 mostly, but we've got a lot of open spaces and areas that they can range in the middle of the city and the eastern areas, too.

There is in particular, one juvenile who has me worried. He's gotten some bird feeders, and when a bear decides that people=food, they can get aggressive in seeking more of it. I love to watch birds, just as much as anybody, but the best time to feed them is probably in the winter, when the bears are denning and the birds' natural food sources are less plentiful.

I am not only concerned about small children or pets or something being harmed by the bear. I am even more concerned about Parks & Wildlife having to euthanize the bear because people were careless and he understandably got too comfortable in close proximity to humans. A friend who has done extensive volunteer work with wildlife orgs in Colorado tells me that they have a policy that a bear will, at most, get "three strikes." They will relocate and tag a bear the first time, possibly a second, but the third time the same one is reported as too close to people, they will have to put it down.

Also? This happened...

https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-c...o-springs-home


Please be "bear aware" as bears are actively out looking for easy meals right now!

[otowi]

I hope people leave them be and don't report them or bother them, but the end result will be the bears being killed.

[Sonic_Spork]

Originally Posted by otowi

I hope people leave them be and don't report them or bother them, but the end result will be the bears being killed.

Actually...lol...the advice is to BOTHER them, deliberately. If they come into yards, to make loud sounds, bang pots and pans (from a place of safety, obviously) blow an air horn if you've got one. Put bowls of ammonia around. These things help to scare them away from human homes, so that they'll get the idea that human dwellings are not bear-friendly spaces.

Like I would personally feel inclined to quietly watch and appreciate a bear's presence, if I saw one through a window, but I've been reading today that since you don't know what will happen when the bear visits a neighbor, it's better for the bears if people scare them off.

But of course the #1 rule is to NOT FEED THEM.