WildEarth Guardians

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Boulder's Bears are Back

Homeowners Encouraged to Prevent Tragedy
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

Boulder, CO - Hungry bruins looking for summer snacks have already been lured into a life of crime that will lead to certain death. Yesterday, a mother bear, who recently lost her cub, was "tagged" in south Boulder. If caught a second time, she'll be euthanized pursuant to the Colorado Division of Wildlife's "two-strike" policy.

When humans create fatal attractions such as birds feeders and easily accessible trash, bears are drawn in, and they cannot escape a life of habituation. Particularly, bears cannot resist bird feeders: Those with seeds, that come packed with huge amounts of calories, and those hummingbird feeders, with their red plastic surfaces holding sugar-laced water, people can get more pounds of wildlife than they bargained for.

"We are urging the people of Boulder - whether in town or up in the canyons - to take systematic and mindful steps to ensure that they are not setting out bear attractants," said Billie Gutgsell of WildEarth Guardians.

Simple steps include:

Put away the bird feeders until late fall - only after bears have gone into hibernation.

Put your garbage out the morning of pickup only, and inquire about bear proof containers with your trash hauler. Make sure compost is inaccessible to bears and other wildlife.

Harvest fruit trees as they ripen and clean up fallen fruit.

Colorado Revised Statute does not allow people to knowingly attract bears with food or edible waste. Fines can be levied for attracting bears with garbage, bird feeders, pet food, or BBQ grills. Violators are subject to fines: $100 for 1st offense, $500 for 2nd, and $1000 for 3rd and subsequent offenses (C.R.S. §33-6-131).

Boulder's trash ordinance requires that trash and recycling may only be put out the same day as collection. Non-compliance may result in a fine of $100 or $1000 (Boulder Revised Code §6-3-5e).

"Let's keep people and bears safe and alive," added Gutgsell. "We can do that if people take responsibility and ensure that their homes do not attract bears with smelly lures such as trash, birdfeeders, dog food, and compost. People need to act now to prevent any more bears from learning bad habits. Once learned, it's impossible to get them to stop."