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CONFLICT WITH BLACK BEARS
Many bear problems begin in bad natural food years, when late frosts, early summer heat or lack of precipitation hinders growth of the foods that bears eat in the high country during the summer. Bears will often venture into populated areas during these difficult food times in search of alternative sources.
Even in good natural food years, black bears move down from higher elevations to the low elevation oakbrush habitat for high-energy natural foods. In spring, as they emerge from hibernation and natural food sources are scarce, bears search for fresh, young vegetation. And in fall, as they bulk up for hibernation - berries, apples and acorns. These highly-digestible, highly-nutritious and abundant foods put bears right into our backyards, as many of Durango's homes occupy prime bear food habitat.
 Unfortunately, what bears also find in this oakbrush habitat in addition to their natural foods is pet food, fast food, trash, fruit trees, bird feeders,
compost, cooking grills and other wealth of human food. Bears being allowed access to these "food rewards" often leads to conflict with people.
Wild bears are naturally wary of humans and will attempt to avoid people and developed areas. Bears that have access to human food overcome their wariness of people, become more aggressive and bold with people. These "human-habituated" bears are ones more dangerous than their wild brethren.
 Wild bears rely on natural food sources such as berries, nuts, fish, vegetation, honey and acorns. Bears fed by people will abandon these natural food sources and seek out human food and trash. If a neighbor is feeding bears they are helping to develop a "problem" bear and bringing that problem to your doorstep.
Bears quickly become conditioned to these food rewards and teach their cubs to do the same. If nothing bad happens to bears when they encounter homes and people - a bear tips a trash can over or knocks down a bird feeder and is rewarded with food - they will, naturally repeat that behavior and eventually become "food-conditioned" bears.
 It is illegal to feed wildlife in Colorado and can result in a fine. You may enjoy seeing bears, but perhaps your neighbors do not. Feeding bears results in bears being captured, relocated and killed!
Never feed bears, under any circumstance, or any other wildlife as well.
COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE
BEAR POLICIES ^back to top
TWO-STRIKE POLICY
A bear who's behavior is deemed threatening is captured, tagged for identification and relocated. If that same bear returns or continues the same behavior elsewhere, it is recaptured and humanely destroyed.
 A bear must exhibit threatening behavior, such as breaking into a garage or be considered a personal safety risk. A bear simply wandering through town does not warrant capture, so feel free to call the DOW and report a bear sighting. They appreciate the information on bear activity.
RELOCATING BEARS ^back to top
Over the years, wildlife agencies have tried to solve bear and human conflicts by capturing and moving problem bears. One could argue that relocation isn't the best solution to bear and human conflict. Relocating problem bears is expensive both in manpower and cost, most good bear habitat is already occupied by other bears or people and most relocated bears end up dead.
In addition, relocation merely treats the symptoms, not the initial problem of bears accessing human food. Whether you move a bear from a problem area or not, the initial reasons for how the bear was obtaining food at that location still needs to be addressed. Other bears will simply fill the void left by relocated bears. If a dominant male bear is moved from a location, for example, typically younger more inexperienced bears will assume that territory.
Almost without exception, bears that have been relocated:
Return to the place where they captured, likely to resume their problematic behavior
Remain in their new location, continuing their behavior in a new place
Are killed in their new locations as a result of conflicts with other bears
Are killed in their attempts to get back to their original home range territory.
 The Nevada Department of Wildlife relocated eight bears in the Lake Tahoe area and tracked them using radio collars. Seven of the eight returned to the Tahoe basin within 18 days, and the eighth was struck by a car. In a study to test the navigational abilities of black bears, researchers and wildlife officials moved nuisance bears different distances and analyzed their movements. The rigors and dangers of being moved to strange country took a toll on the bears released at greater distances. However, 50% made it home from 40 to 75 miles away and 30% made it home from 75 to 170 miles away. The rest either gave up or were killed. The longest successful return was 142 miles by an adult female in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
We must not allow our bad habits to allow bears to develop their bad habits in the first place.
SEE PHOTOS OF BEAR RELOCATION
Learn how to avoid conflict with bears: click here.
TOP BEAR NEAR VALLECITO HOME PHOTO BY LINDA WAGNER
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