bear in New Mexico

Note that in New Mexico problem bear can be taken by hunters. The Division of Parks and wildlife needs to have that flexibility in Colorado. J.Paul

 

 

Durango Herald Aug. 14, 2011

Fires, drought push bears into N.M. cities

BY JERI CLAUSING

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALBUQUERQUE – Displaced by fires and short on food after months of drought, state game offi­cials say bears in search of a good meal are head­ing into the cities in unusually high numbers this summer.

In just the last week, a bear and her cub crashed a wedding at an exclusive Taos resort. A few days later, a bear was caught munching on fruit trees in a Santa Fe neighborhood. About 60 miles down the road, a bear was rescued from a tree in an Al­buquerque neighborhood. And earlier this sum­mer, a bear was caught on video checking garbage cans at the governor's mansion.

"There are bears everywhere," said Dan Wil­liams, spokesman for the New Mexico Depart­ment of Game and Fish. "It's a little busier this year than most for various reasons: We've had fires, we've had drought, we've had extreme heat. All of that has impacted the food source for the bears up high. Right now is when the bears really start trying to pack on weight for the winter. They are hungry, hungry. It's all about food for them right now. They will go to the easiest source of food right now – or any food."

Twenty-six bears have been trapped and re­leased back into the wild, Williams said. A record number – 147 – have been euthanized, 11 have been harvested by hunters and another 17 have killed on roads or other accidents.

Additionally, game and fish officers have brought 21 bears to the Wildlife Center in Espa­ñola this year, about two-thirds of which are cubs orphaned by fires and the drought.

"There's no food. So there's a lot bears," said Katherine Eagleson, executive director of the nonprofit rehabilitation refuge. "We've gotten some that have been burned by the fire and some that have gotten separated from their moms and some that are just hungry."

Eagleson said the center has been able to re­lease three bears back to the wild. One had to be euthanized while another, a 13- or 14-year-old female from the Las Conchas fire, is recovering from third-degree burns on all four paws and sec­ond- degree burns on other parts of her body.

Williams said in addition to the fires and drought, there also are more bears than usual.

"Our large carnivore biologist tells me that one of the reasons we are seeing so many bears this year is because the bears had a real good repro­ductive year going into this and the last couple of years," he said. "So there is a lot of offspring out there. In other words, there are just a lot of bears."

Williams said the bear who was tranquilized after crashing the wedding at El Monte Sagrado Resort on Aug. 6 has been released back into the wild, but her cub has not been found.

 

J. Paul Brown

Colorado State Representative

House District 59

State Capitol

200 E. Colfax, Room 271

Denver, Colorado 80203

303-866-2914