Local vehicles feel brunt of bear problem

It’s also lion country around here

The bears continue to roam wild and cause havoc in the town of Crested Butte. In the last couple of weeks, bears have broken into more than three dozen vehicles. Garages have been damaged and the bear-resistant trashcans in town are taking a beating.

 

 

“Every night there is a bear problem,” said Crested Butte assistant chief marshal Ted Conner. “They are smelling food in the vehicles and they have figured out how to open the doors. If you are keeping food in your car, there is a good chance a bear will go after it.”
Conner said bears could cause “significant” damage to cars. They will tear up the vehicle to get to
the food.
“It can get expensive if a bear gets in your car,” Conner said.
He said a 350-pound bear was spotted walking down the street Tuesday morning over by Rainbow Park. He had apparently gotten into some of the local trash bins.
Conner said the Colorado Department of Wildlife hasn’t had much luck in trapping the local bears, but they are continuing to try.
And Conner said to remember this is also mountain lion country. There has been a recent sighting of a cat by Peanut Lake Road just west of Crested Butte. “It’s a known lion habitat due to all the deer in the area,” he explained. “Everyone needs to remember that we share this beautiful area with a lot of God’s creatures. We need to do what we can to limit the chance of any close encounters.”

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