Recent dry winters have increased the number of bear encounters in La Plata County and across Colorado.
This year saw some of the highest conflict levels in recent history, according to 2025 data collected by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Statewide, a total of 5,259 bear reports were filed between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, a slight increase from the 4,996 in 2024. It was the most active year of human-bear interaction since 2019, according to a CPW news release.
But in La Plata County, the spike was much steeper than statewide trends.
Here’s a look at bear activity countywide in 2025:
CPW collected 1,116 reports of bear activity in 2025 – up from the 630 collected in 2024.
The jump is partially attributable to improved information gathering and sharing across various agencies, said John Livingston, CPW spokesman for the southwest region. CPW is capturing more data now than in previous years, he added.
But he said the increase also reflects a real rise in bear activity as mild winters have reduced natural food sources.
“That lack of moisture, the lack of snowpack at higher elevations each of the last two years have kind of led to these spotty food conditions,” Livingston said.
CPW is aware of 581 reports of food source property damage caused by bears in 2025.
Food source property damage refers to the property damage caused by a bear’s attempts to access trash, bird feeders, livestock feed, chickens and other quick-calorie sources.
The number of reports – almost double the 241 filed in 2024 – are indicative that the rise in conflicts are not just driven by data-collection changes, but represent a real-world phenomena.
Livingston said, “it shows that it’s not just about the data collection, there was increased conflict as well.”
There were 74 reported incidents of nonfood property damage in 2025, compared to 48 in 2024.
CPW relocated 22 bears captured in La Plata County in 2025. The agency typically relocates first-time offenders that enter human spaces in search of food.
CPW euthanized 17 bears in 2025.
CPW has a two-strike policy: The first time a bear is caught searching for food in an area populated by humans, it is relocated. If the bear reoffends, CPW is required to euthanize it.
There has been a steep jump in euthanasia over the past two years. Fourteen were recorded in 2024, compared to two in 2022.
It underscores the consequences of unsecured food sources, Livingston said.
“We’re encouraging people to use all the tools available to them to mitigate that kind of conflict,” he said.
The increase in hobby farming and ownership of chickens within city and county limits has created an additional attractant for bears in search of food.
While some bear-human interactions are unavoidable given La Plata County’s geography, a variety of tools can be implemented by residents to dissuade bears from looking for food in human-occupied areas.
Bear meat can be donated to people who sign up with CPW to receive it, so long as no tranquilizer drugs were used on the animal, Livingston said.
He added that the skeleton and pelt is usually kept and used for educational purposes.
A bear rehabilitation facility took in 13 bear cubs found in the county.
Six bear cubs out of the 13 sent to a rehab facility were released into the wild following rehabilitation.
The six cubs were released in pairs of two on Nov. 20, Livingston said.
According to research conducted by the rehab facility manager, November is the best release date for cubs to ensure their success in the wild, before the heavy snow storms begin, he said.
Two bear cubs that wandered into the Yellow Carrot restaurant in Durango earlier this year were too small to be released, and will likely be returned to the wild in February when they are healthier.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
