Drought-Driven Hunger Pushes Black Bears Into Rocky Mountain Communities

A summer of severe drought across the Rocky Mountains has left black bears scouring for food in unusual places, leading to a sharp rise in encounters with humans and property. In one incident in Gold Hill, Colorado, a bear managed to open the door of a Toyota SUV and became trapped inside, setting off the car horn repeatedly as it tried to escape. The vehicle's owner, Patrick Sullivan, said the bear's frantic efforts to get out left the car's interior destroyed and the vehicle undrivable.

The bear was eventually freed by Sullivan's brother-in-law, but not all such stories end peacefully. Wildlife officials report that a bear trapped in a car in Colorado Springs died from heat, and dozens of others have been euthanized across the region for posing risks to people.

Colorado has recorded twice the average number of bear sightings and conflicts this year, with animals appearing on the eastern plains far from their usual mountain habitats. Wildlife managers in New Mexico and Utah are also reporting record numbers of hungry bears losing their natural wariness of humans, raiding homes, cars, and campgrounds in search of food.

Officials attribute the surge to widespread drought that has decimated the nuts, berries, and plants that make up a bear's natural diet. With natural food sources scarce, bears are drawn to easy meals in populated areas, including pet food, bird feeders, and unsecured trash bins. The latter is considered the single biggest attractant behind the spike in activity.

While many bears are tranquilized and relocated, those that begin to associate food with people are often euthanized. Wildlife officials stress that a bear that becomes habituated to human food is a danger and often cannot be saved. In Utah alone, over three dozen bears have been killed this year, more than in the previous three years combined. New Mexico has seen 187 bears killed, the highest number since 2011.

Black bears are typically less dangerous than grizzlies, but they can be aggressive. Several attacks on humans have been reported this summer, including a hiker scratched in Golden, Colorado, and a fisherman bitten in the mountains southwest of Denver. A man on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico died after being attacked by a bear in August.

Experts say the situation is a stark example of how climate change is reshaping human-wildlife interactions. This year's snowpack across the Upper Colorado River Basin was the worst on record, a condition scientists say was made far more likely by global warming. The loss of habitat to record wildfires has compounded the problem, leaving bears with fewer places to find food.

Despite the grim statistics, some stories end well. Wildlife officers have rescued numerous orphaned cubs from trees, and one cub that climbed into a truck in Steamboat Springs was eventually chased off. In Gold Hill, the bear trapped in the SUV was released back into the woods, a rare happy ending for an animal that could have easily been killed.