Aspen records 12 bear encounters so far this year

Aspen has already recorded 12 bear encounters this year, an unusually high number for early spring according to Lara Xaiz, wildlife coordinator for Aspen Parks and Open Space. 

Of those incidents, seven involved bears getting into trash and five occurred when bears entered unlocked vehicles.

“Normally, we do not see this type of action until a little later in the season,” Xaiz said. “The good thing is that a lot of the community already has their trash pretty well-secured. Two of the times that the bears got into trash, they got into recycling.”

She emphasized that many people overlook the importance of thoroughly rinsing food containers before placing them in recycling bins, which can easily attract bears. Among the recent trash-related incidents, one involved a bear breaking into a trash enclosure and another saw a bear manage to get into a certified bear-resistant can.

“Bears have gotten pretty good at breaking into those certified wildlife-resistant cans the last couple of years,” she said. “Those cans are only good for an estimated 60 minutes of a bear messing around it.”

Aspen’s municipal code currently does not specify where bear-resistant containers should be stored, a gap Xaiz said contributes to the problem. Wildlife experts advise that even certified containers should be kept in a locked location — like a garage or shed — when not out for pickup.

“Unfortunately, people keep those cans outdoors 24/7, and that gives bears a lot of opportunity to figure them out,” she said.

With the summer season still ahead, she expects the number of bear encounters to rise. In the meantime, she urges residents to take basic precautions. 

“Lock your car doors, remove your bird feeders, properly rinse your recycling, and know what is actually recyclable,” she said. “Latch your trash. It’s always best if you can store it in your garage or shed.”

She believes the uptick in encounters this early in the year reflects deeper ecological issues. 

“I think that some of these bears are young and did not learn how to feed themselves,” she said. “Last summer, the bears learned some bad habits. Last summer, we had a near-complete food failure. The berries ended up being damaged by late season snow, and July was really dry, causing drought conditions, and the acorns were not able to produce.”

As a result, many mother bears weaned their cubs early. Some mothers were involved in human conflicts and had to be relocated or euthanized, leaving orphaned cubs with few survival skills.

“These bears just learned trash is food, so that is what they are looking for when they get their digestive tracks up and running for the season,” Xaiz said.

While it might seem logical to intervene, she explained that artificially supplementing bear populations would only worsen the problem. 

“If humans artificially boost the bears up, the moms will have more cubs — as the number of cubs is decided by their body condition at the time — and that would lead to this cycling escalating,” she said.

To better coordinate response and education, Aspen recently launched a bear hotline that centralizes resources for residents who encounter wildlife: 970-920-BEAR.