A bear has been breaking into homes in the Mountain View and Knollwood neighborhoods east of Aspen, and residents are being warned to lock their doors and take other precautions.
The bear broke into the same home two nights in a row, said Kevin Wright of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. After the first break-in, the door it used was locked, but another door was left unlocked.
“Every time a mistake happens a bear learns,” said Wright, who added that he “can’t stress to people enough that they absolutely have to keep doors closed and locked at night and when they’re gone.”
Wright also advises people to bring bird feeders inside, to fix broken garbage containers right away, and to lock their cars, as he’s heard of some possible vehicle break-ins.
The bear has been getting in through unlocked lever-handled doors, which bears can easily open, and at one home went straight to the refrigerator and cupboards, causing minor damage.
“He’s been fairly neat about it,” said Wright, who suspects the bear learned how to find human food last year, as it is choosing not to feed from the flowering plants that are starting to come on now.
Wright does not yet have an age, sex or description for the bear. He said it’s one of two known bears in the area, but the only one that appears to be active right now.
“This bear is working this area,” said Wright.
DOW officials have set a trap in the neighborhood for the bear, but are unsure of what to do with it if they catch it. They will most likely ear tag the bear and “hard release” it in the area, which means shooting it with bean bags. Officials don’t have anywhere to relocate bears to at this time, because of all the snow in the high country. If the bear comes back and continues to cause trouble after it’s caught and released, it will likely be put down.
There have been few bear calls this year so far, probably because the weather has stayed relatively cool, but in the case of a protracted warm spell, that could change. Still, if local residents are aware and take all the necessary precautions, waking bears might not learn the bad habits that get them into trouble with humans.
“I really, really need people’s help. We don’t need a year like we had last year,” said Wright, in reference to a summer and fall that had a record number of bear incidents and bears being euthanized as a result.
lutz@aspendailynews.com
