Bears Breaking Into Front Range Homes, Ripping Up Cars
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - A Boulder homeowner is planning to be a bit more cautious after she was visited by a family of bears in her backyard two different times.
Christa Mayer captured video of one of the visits. A mother bear and two cubs can be seen walking together and playing on her property. At one point one of the cubs swings around on a slackline.
"He was hanging and swinging. They were jumping in an out of trees," said Mayer.
"It was so cool to watch. It was like a live version of a wildlife documentary."
As thrilling as the experience was for Mayer, bears are proving to be problematic on Colorado's Front Range this year. And wildlife experts say it is an issue that is likely to get worse in upcoming weeks.
There have been more than 50 reports of bears breaking into homes in 2015. Also, 20 sheds have reportedly been rummaged through and more than 20 cars have been ripped up by the animals.
On Thursday a bear wandering in Arvada caused two schools to be placed on lockdown. CBS4 also captured video on Tuesday of a cub caught wandering the streets of Denver.
Mayer says she is taking precautions in an effort to keep the bears from coming back.
"I haven't even really wanted to grill because I know they can smell that, too," Mayer said.
Bears are about to go into hyperphagia, and wildlife officials say as their hunt for more food prior to hibernation gets more intense, sightings of bears will increase even more.
"We have the rest of the season to go through," said Denver Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill. "(Hyperphagia) is 20,000 calories a day. That's 10 times more than a person needs to eat."
Wildlife officials recommend homeowners take several steps to keep bears away. They say keep doors of your home locked, put away bird feeders and don't put out trash until the morning it is going to be picked up.
Bear season ends in October.
