There is no animal more synonymous with the great outdoors than the bear. Scientists have been working for decades to reduce the negative outcomes of when the inevitable happens: Human meets bear. Newly released data from Colorado sheds light on just how well man and bear are coexisting.
The Data
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has been tracking bear-human interactions since 2019, when it launched a wildlife incident reporting app. The state is home to somewhere from 17,000 to 20,000 black bears (there are no grizzlies in the state).
An Increase
The 2025 data shows several noteworthy trends. The agency recorded 5,299 reports of human-bear interactions, a broad umbrella term that can involve anything from a sighting in an urban area to property damage. This number is a 5.5% increase from 2024 and a 50.2% increase from 2023.
As always, the number one reason for human-bear interactions was bears seeking out human food. Trash was the number one source of conflict. Other food sources that caused trouble included bird feeders, livestock, and people leaving things like garages open and unsecured.
Of all the interactions, 46%, or 2,448, resulted in property damage. Trash was behind 57% of these cases.
Reasons Behind the Spike
A variety of factors can drive bears to look for human food. “Natural food conditions were inconsistent across the state, influenced by localized droughts, late frosts, and variable precipitation. Some regions, particularly those with poor acorn and berry production, reported increased bear activity in residential areas, leading to property damage and vehicle collisions,” the CPW said.
Trash management is another important factor. The CPW implored people to secure garbage, store pet food indoors, and clean and store grills.
Other Changes
The CPW euthanized 78 bears in 2025, a 25% decrease from 2024 (98). The CPW says that people may be hesitant to report bear activity, in case that results in the bear being killed. In reality, the agency says that the earlier they can address a potential bear problem, the likelier it is to be resolved without resorting to euthanasia.
It also relocated 52 bears, 31% less than in 2024 (68). While relocation can work in some cases, “wildlife officers stress relocation is not a fix-all solution as there is no way to unteach a bear once it learns that homes, garages or vehicles might contain food,” the CPW said.
Where Are the Bears?
The CPW divides the state into four major areas (northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest). “Colorado’s Southwest and Northwest Regions recorded the highest number of incidents with bears that led to property damage. This is expected as most bears live in areas west of I-25 and more bears leads to more incidents,” the agency explained.
On a more granular level, the CPW further divides the state into 18 management areas. The areas around Aspen and Durango had the highest reports of human-bear interactions; these two populous cities show the greatest overlap between bear and human populations.
What Can We Do?
The CPW strongly encouraged residents and visitors to be “Bear Wise,” a program centered on helping people live responsibly with bears. Focus on securing anything and everything that could be tempting to a bear, including trash, compost, beehives, vehicles containing food, grills, coolers, and more.
“Human-bear conflicts are most often traced back to human behavior. Living BearWise is the most effective way to prevent human-caused conflicts with bears,” the CPW said.
“While educational initiatives and community efforts have helped mitigate some issues, the need for improved coexistence practices, including securing attractants and reinforcing bear-proofing measures, remains critical.”
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