Sunday, July 31st - Photo Of The Week... This week's photo features one of our larger local residents, the Black Bear (Ursus americanus). This photo was taken on July 24th and shows a black bear wandering along the roadside in the early morning hours. Black bear are year round residents to our area and are usually seen at night. They are omnivorous and often seen scrounging for food around garbage containers, grills and campers. Black bear are the largest carnivores in Colorado reaching 4 to 6 feet in length (only 4 inches is tail) and up to 450 pounds in weight. While called black bear, they are sometimes brown or cinnamon in color. While black bears are shy and quiet by nature, they can become aggressive around food and particularly around their cubs. Never try to scare a bear away from food and absolutely never approach a black bear cub regardless of how alone it may seem. Mama is surely not far away and could easily mistake your good intentions as a threat. Both you and the bear will ultimately lose. Area residents are encouraged to take steps to prevent bear-human altercations. Removal of all potential food sources such as grills, garbage cans, hummingbird feeders, etc is main step to prevent bear problems. Bear have excellent memories and once they find a food source, they will repeatedly return. Should you be confronted with a black bear, do not turn away and run or throw objects at it. Make your presence known by speaking softly and slowly back away to a safe distance, always facing the bear. Avoid direct eye contact as this is perceived by many animals as aggression. Black bear are timid by nature and do not want physical confrontation any more than you. In the very rare event that a black bear actually attacks you, fight back hard. A black bear will usually run rather than fight, as humans are not on their menu as food, and they are also not accustomed to their normal prey fighting back. Black bear are marvelous creatures which have been in this area far longer than man. Barring humans, black bear are the rulers of the mountain forests and has no natural enemies. Black bear are one of our State's most precious resources. It is our obligation to do our best to both protect, and to live in harmony with, these magnificent natives of the Colorado mountains. More information on black bear can be found at the Colorado Division of Wildlife website, via the link below:
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