Drought drives black bears into towns across the US West

Granby, United States. Two young black bears entered a roofer’s home in Granby, Colorado, earlier this month before fleeing through the front door. Wildlife experts say a record-dry winter has driven thousands of bears into towns and cities across the US West in search of food.

Bears enter homes and businesses

The roofer, Errico, found the bears, each about the size of a golden retriever, standing in his hallway after he got up. Following a brief stare, the animals ran out through the front door.

Errico said bears had previously entered his rubbish but that the incident was the first time he had heard of cubs getting inside a home in Granby, a small mountain town about 57 miles northwest of Denver.

The bears were also spotted in a Granby vape shop.

Food shortages prompt increased encounters

Bears have been seen near a school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in a tree near a farmers market in Denver and in other encounters across the country, according to video verified by Reuters.

Bear experts and state wildlife agencies said the driest winter in memory had reduced plants, grasses, berries and nuts, which account for about 90% of the animals’ diet.

The bears’ strong sense of smell is drawing them towards human food sources. Wildlife agencies said increased contact with people has led to record bear deaths in some states, with hundreds euthanised, struck by vehicles, shot or electrocuted.

Concerns over changing bear behaviour

Experts said continued aridification in the West could lead bears to become accustomed to human food and potentially stop hibernating if winters become warmer and wild food remains scarce.

“It’s like testing the bears in a way that they’ve never been tested before, and testing humans,” black bear expert Jon Beckmann said.

Development has brought people into areas where bears previously foraged, while bear populations have recovered in states including Nevada, where they were largely eliminated more than a century ago.

Black bears are now considered the healthiest of the world’s eight bear species. Colorado alone has between 17,000 and 20,000 black bears, according to state authorities.