Bears prying open home windows in Rocky Mountain town. ‘Straight to the refrigerator’
Bears can break into homes easily. All they need is a tiny cracked window of space, Colorado wildlife officials said.
Several homes in the Rocky Mountain town of Estes Park were broken into by bears, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said.
The determined animals have gotten into the homes by tearing open windows and opening doors that aren’t locked. If a door has a straight, lever-style handle, it’s less of a challenge for a bear to open the door and walk inside.
“Most incidents involved a bear prying open a cracked window,” Parks and Wildlife officials said Tuesday on Twitter. “Please make sure all home windows are closed COMPLETELY and latched.”
Bears’ noses are “100 times more sensitive” than humans, and they can smell food up to five miles away, Parks and Wildlife said on its website. They can also seek out trash that smells like food or scented products, such as air fresheners, wipes or perfume.
Bears are smart and will come back to a location where they’ve found food.
“Most times in Estes when a bear gets into a house, they go straight to the refrigerator or pantry,” wildlife officials said. “This is a dangerous and learned behavior. It is entirely preventable by all of us that live in or visit bear country.”
Parks and Wildlife said people in bear country should always lock their windows and doors, at home and in their cars.
In the same Colorado town, a hungry bear broke into at least eight cars in one night. All of the cars were unlocked.
“While not all of the vehicles had food or attractants, some bears go from car to car just to see if they’re unlocked, then hope to find food,” wildlife officials said.
Bears have done damage when breaking into other homes in the West. In California, a bear wandered into a couple’s home and made a mess of their kitchen in April.
In March, a mother bear and her three cubs peeled the siding off a Kings Beach home and trashed part of the basement. They also broke a gas line.
Wildlife officials have warned that if a bear breaks into your home, you shouldn’t confront it.
“Most bears will quickly look for an escape route,” the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said on its website. “Move away to a safe place. Do not block exit points. If the bear does not leave, get to a safe place and call 911.”
Wildlife officials also offered the following tips to deter bears:
Don’t leave food scraps in your yard
Have a bear-proof garbage can
Don’t put out the trash can until the morning it’s to be collected
Do not leave food in your vehicle
Do not spray bear spray near your property (It can attract bears once dried)
Do not feed wildlife near your home
This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 9:10 AM with the headline "Bears prying open home windows in Rocky Mountain town. ‘Straight to the refrigerator’."