COLORADO — Colorado Parks and Wildlife want to remind you to bear-proof your property and cars to help keep your neighbors and Colorado's bears safe this summer.
CPW Northeast region tweeted a video of a bear in Lyons breaking through a fence and then sniffing around for trash before moving the dumpster out of the gate. The bear tried to open the dumpster's lid but was unsuccessful.
📍 Lyons, Colo.
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) July 23, 2019
A bear breaks through a fence, sniffs around for trash.
The bear backs the trash dumpster out.
The bear tries to get into the dumpster, but cannot.
It tries to take the bear resistant dumpster home with him, but cannot.
No reward for this bear 🤗 #BearAware pic.twitter.com/jwTjnXWwhr
Black bears are curious animals that are always on the lookout for a meal according to CPW. Cars, garages, and houses are easily accessible for bears because they can find human food, garbage, pet food and other items that attract them. When you give bears access to those, their instinctive drive to eat can overcome its fear of humans.
- Here is what Colorado Parks and Wild recommend you do to keep bears out:
- Close and lock all bear-accessible windows and doors when you leave the house and at night before you go to bed.
- Install sturdy grates or bars on windows if you must leave them open.
- Keep car doors and windows closed and locked if you park outside. Make sure there’s nothing with an odor in your vehicle, including food, air fresheners, trash, and cosmetics.
- Close and lock garage doors and windows at night and when you’re not home; garage doors should be down if you are home but not outside.
- Install extra-sturdy doors if you have a freezer, refrigerator, pet food, birdseed, or other attractants stored in your garage.
- Remove any tree limbs that might provide access to upper-level decks and windows.
- Replace exterior lever-style door handles with good quality round door knobs that bears can’t pull or push open.
For more tips, you can click here.
Here in Colorado Springs, there have been too many bear versus human encounters. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager Frank McGee said there have been "199 so far this year."
The Colorado Springs City Council is seriously considering a new ordinance to curb the problem. The proposed law would require anyone living west of I-25 to either use bear proof garbage cans or keep their garbage secured inside until 5:00 a.m. on their garbage day.
"It's a hard one, said Colorado Springs City Council President Richard Skorman. "You know we don't want to be too prescriptive as a government, but a lot of communities have required bear proof garbage cans."
Two council members representing all the people living west of I-25 decided to postpone a vote scheduled in August. They want to hold a couple of town hall meetings to discuss the ordinance with the people it will impact. The vote has been moved to September.
