DURANGO, Colo. — Three black bear cubs that had been separated from their mother were rescued from Durango last week after officials say people chased the cubs and tried to take photos of them.
On Aug. 21, the City of Durango shared a series of photos of a bear cub wandering around inside a local restaurant. An employee managed to guide the bear back outside.
But Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said the agency would "struggle to say everything ended with no harm done." They called the incident "alarming."
That bear cub was one of three in the area that became separated from one another "because humans chased them around," CPW said.
"While some people were concerned for their wellbeing and called our office to give updated reports of their location, others got too close and scattered them around as they tried to get photos," the agency posted online. "It made successfully catching up to all three and reuniting the siblings incredibly difficult."
The cub from the restaurant went up a nearby tree and was darted so the wildlife officers could capture it. The other two cubs were also caught.
Biologists said the bears were all in poor condition and were likely trying to survive after being separated from their mother weeks ago.
They did not find the bears' mother in the area and nobody reported seeing one.
The three cubs were brought to CPW's Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Del Norte, where they will spend time socializing with other cubs, gaining weight and becoming healthier. At some point, staff will release them for a second chance at life, CPW said.
Two 18-month-old black bears were recently released from the rehabilitation center after they were found in February with mange. They were just freed this month east of Lake City.
“Orphan cubs don’t normally spend nearly this much time in captivity, so we were ecstatic to finally see them on their way,” said Frisco Creek facility manager Michael Sirochman.
On Wednesday, CPW announced the recipients for its 2025 Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant program, which Denver7 previewed earlier this year.
Environment
New round of Colorado grants opens to help reduce issues between people, bears
The program was first funded with the passing of bipartisan House Bill 21-1326 in 2021. Its popularity and success over the past few years has carried it forward from that initial year.
Since its first year, the program has awarded 39 grants totaling $2.9 million.
The goal is to support innovative solutions to human-bear conflicts that are not only successful, but can be applied to other parts of the state. This funding is eligible for local governments, non-governmental organizations, HOAs, community groups, businesses, tribes, universities and individuals.
This year, the following proposals received the full or partial amount of requested funding, as outlined by CPW:
- Colorado Springs Parks and Rec, Bear-Resistant Cans in Public Spaces - $110,000 awarded | Bear-resistant trash receptacles will be installed throughout open space properties managed by the City of Colorado Springs.
- Beulah Fire, Residential Trash Carts - $88,000 awarded | Building on a previous grant, Beulah Fire Protection District will continue to work in its service area to provide bear-resistant residential trash cans in areas of conflict and provide education and outreach.
- Yampa Valley Housing Authority, Dumpster Enclosure - $73,000 awarded | Two trash and recycling enclosures will be constructed at an apartment complex and a mobile home park in Steamboat Springs to fortify areas of highest conflict at these highly trafficked areas.
- Ute Condos - Aspen, Trash Enclosure - $68,000 awarded | A trash and recycling enclosure will be constructed at this condo complex, which is located in an area with frequent bear conflicts in Pitkin County.
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - Colorado Springs, Upgrade to Recycling and Trash Bins - $31,000 awarded | The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will use this funding to replace its recycling bins with bear-resistant models and upgrade its well-worn trash bins.
- Continental North HOA - Larimer County, Residential Carts Plus Materials - $29,000 awarded | This HOA in Larimer County will replace the residential trash receptacles for all houses within the association with bear-resistant trash carts, with the goal of reducing attractants.
- Town of Alma, Bear-Resistant Cans in Public Spaces - $26,000 awarded | The Town of Alma will update the trash cans on Main Street with bear-resistant trash cans to better protect residents and visitors from bear conflicts.
- City of Woodland Park, Bear-Resistant Cans in Public Spaces - $24,000 awarded | The City of Woodland Park is going to install approximately 15 bear-resistant trash receptacles throughout all city-owned parks and along the downtown Main Street corridor (Hwy 24).
- Holland Hills Townhomes, Trash Enclosure - $22,000 awarded | This townhome community in unincorporated Pitkin County will construct a trash enclosure to fortify the storage area and prevent bears from accessing it.
- Silverton Building and Code Enforcement - $21,000 awarded | The Town of Silverton will use this funding to help cover the costs of an enforcement officer in an effort to educate and enforce newly adopted town ordinances.
- Mountain Air Ranch Resort - Littleton, Trash Enclosures - $17,000 awarded | More secure trash receptacles will be installed at the resort to better deter bears from accessing trash and recycling.
- Davis Ranch HOA - Larimer County, Trash and Recycle Station - $16,000 awarded | This HOA in Larimer County is taking steps to secure the storage of trash and recycling at its community sorting station.
- Redstone Water and Sanitation, Trash Station - $9,000 awarded | The Town of Redstone is working to find a more rugged storage solution for their community trash sorting station, which is used by much of the community.
- Mountain Shadows Montessori, Bear-Proofing School - $7,000 awarded | This school, located in an urban setting that is also located in prime bear habitat, will use grant funds to bear-proof their school grounds and expand their education efforts around wildlife conflict prevention.
- Larimer County Open Space, Bear-Resistant Can in Public Spaces - $30,000 awarded | Larimer County will install bear-resistant trash cans in open spaces they manage in areas of potential bear conflict.
- Town of Keystone, Residential Trash Carts and Enclosures - $40,000 awarded | The Town of Keystone will utilize this funding to help begin implementation of its newly passed trash ordinance. They will use the funds to purchase bear-resistant trash cans and to help fund trash enclosures.
- Eagle Police Department, Bear-Resistant Can in Public Spaces - $39,000 awarded | With a newly approved town ordinance, the Eagle Police Department is looking to upgrade public trash receptacles to comply with the ordinance. This grant will refurbish some cans while replacing others in the town limits.
- Black Mountain Waste - Mesa County, Residential Trash Carts - $60,000 awarded | This rural trash hauler servicing Mesa County will use this award to purchase residential bear-resistant trash carts for its customers.
- City of Glenwood Springs, Reimbursement Program - $58,000 awarded | The City of Glenwood Springs will offer a reimbursement program to residents seeking to upgrade their trash receptacles to bear-resistant versions. They will also make some funding available to commercial facilities.
- Good Food Collective - Mancos, School and Residential Trash Cans - $44,000 awarded | This non-profit organization will work within its community to provide bear-resistant trash cans to locations in Mancos in hopes of reducing bear interactions.
- Arapahoe Valley Ranch - Granby, Food Storage Lockers and Enclosures - $85,000 awarded | This campground facility, surrounded by National Forest, is working to reduce attractants by offering storage lockers and trash enclosures at the facility, while working to educate visitors of best practices to reduce bear conflicts.
- Eagle County, School Building Bear-Resistant Trash - $103,000 awarded | Eagle County Open Space and Natural Resources will lead the effort to install bear-resistant trash cans at 21 public school facilities between Vail and Gypsum and lead education efforts.
To learn more about living with bears in Colorado, click here.
CPW has the following recommendations for how to bear-proof your home, cars and campsites, and protect livestock:
Bear-proofing your home:
- Keep garbage in a well-secured location. Only put out garbage on the morning of pickup.
- Clean garbage cans regularly to keep them free of food odors: ammonia is effective.
- Keep garage doors closed.
- Do not leave pet food or stock feed outside.
- Use a bear-resistant trash can or dumpster.
- Bird feeders are a major source of bear/human conflicts. Attract birds naturally with flowers and water baths. Do not hang bird feeders from April 15 to Nov. 15.
- Don’t allow bears to become comfortable around your house. If you see one, haze it by yelling at it, throwing things at it and making loud noises to scare it off.
- Secure compost piles. Bears are attracted to the scent of rotting food.
- Clean the grill after each use, clean-up thoroughly after cookouts.
- If you have fruit trees, don't allow the fruit to rot on the ground.
- Talk to your neighbors and kids about being Bear Aware.
Bear-proofing your car and campsites:
- Lock your doors when you’re away from home and at night.
- Keep the bottom floor windows of your house closed when you're not at home.
- Do not keep food in your vehicle; roll up windows and lock the doors of your vehicles.
- When car-camping, secure all food and coolers in a locked vehicle.
- Keep a clean camp, whether you’re in a campground or in the backcountry.
- When camping in the backcountry, hang food 100 feet or more from the campsite; don’t bring any food into your tent.
- Cook food well away from your tent; wash dishes thoroughly.
Bear-proofing your chickens, bees, livestock:
- Keep chickens, bees and livestock in a fully covered enclosure, especially at night.
- Construct electric fencing when possible.
- Don’t store livestock feed outside.
- Keep enclosures clean to minimize animal odors.
- Hang rags soaked in ammonia and/or Pine-Sol around the enclosure as a scent deterrent.
