In just 24 hours, we have had three bear sightings in Colorado Springs. One bear snuck into a pizza parlor downtown. We want to know why we are having to many run-ins and what to do if you come across a bear.
Parks and Wildlife Officers tell 11 News, right now, as they get ready to hibernate, bears are active at least 20 hours a day. They are trying to eat as many as 20,000 calories each day.
This year, we are seeing more bears and there's a reason for that. Wildlife Officers say the number of sightings is "above average." In 24 hours, there were at least three bear sightings in Colorado Springs.
On Monday, a bear cub went inside Louie's Pizza in downtown Colorado Springs.
"We looked back and we were like 'someone's joking with us, there is no bear," said Richard Bottorff, an employee at Louie’s Pizza. "And then we went back there and sure enough, it's a little baby cub."
“It’s the most interesting thing, I was just driving down the road and one of my employees called me and said we have a bear in the backroom," said Louie Sciarrotta, Owner of Louie's Pizza. "They said, no really we have a bear in the backroom. So I was thinking it was a teddy bear, you know, a present, whatever and they sent me a picture and it was a live bear."
Only 11 News was inside the restaurant to get the cub on camera. The cub had a hurt paw and sat in a back room.
"I walked back there and the bear was asleep right there on top of the icing," said Phillip Gurule, District Wildlife Manager. "Looks like she had a little bit to eat."
“She found our icing," said Sciarrotta. "So she was sitting up on a shelf eating the icing, licking it, and made herself at home. She was comfortable.”
"Even bears like Louie's Pizza," said Mike Steckley.
In the Rockrimmon area in northern Colorado Springs, there were two sightings alone.
Monday morning, 11 News was there when a mom and a cub were stuck in a tree.
“We got a call from passerbys this morning about a sow and two cubs up a tree," said Steve Cooley, Wildlife Officer for Northwestern El Paso County. "It’s pretty common in this neighborhood."
And, it is -- Neighbors tell 11 News another bear has been roaming around a different neighborhood in the same area. They sent us pictures of what happened Sunday night, you can see them in the video above.
Vance Harper says his dad was sleeping Sunday night when he heard their dog barking.
"He goes to the window and tells us, Jake, Vance, get downstairs there’s a bear," said Harper. "So, we all grab the flash light, go out on the deck and you see this bear; he's growling picking off this fence and it's just amazing to watch such a big animal just rip through these pickets like it's nothing."
The bear tore through their fence.
“It was crazy to think how powerful it was," said Harper. "It just ripped through these pickets like it was nothing, you know, I can’t even do that.”
Wildlife officials tell 11 News because we had a late freeze, bears haven't had as much of a natural food source available. They say we had a "food failure," which killed a lot of acorns. That's what brings them down looking for food. Cooley says to make sure you properly secure your trash and don't put it out until the morning of pick-up.
"Having the number of bears we have here and the duration that bears want to stay in one neighborhood is for one reason and one reason only -- That's because of trash, that availability of food source," said Cooley.
So what should you do when you see a bear?
-Give the bear space.
-Make yourself look bigger: If you have a jacket or a backpack, put it over your head.
-Make a lot of noise.
-Slowly leave the area.
You can find other tips for "Living with Bears," just click the link on the right side of your screen. It will take you to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.
Officers tell 11 News, here in Colorado, we only have black bears, which are not usually aggressive, unless they are startled.
As for the bear cub at Louie's Pizza, she is at a rehab facility. She had a broken foot. Wildlife officers think she was hit by a car. When the cub is better, she will be relocated.
