Bear takes over a Boulder homeowner’s backyard

BOULDER, Colo. — Homeowner in Boulder had their backyard taken over by a bear Tuesday.

That’s just one day after neighbors in Golden woke up to a mountain lion in their midst.

It’s becoming more common that wildlife are coming down from the mountains because the dry conditions have reduced their food supply.

Hungry bears are desperate for food right now… they’re trying to eat about 20,000 calories every day to get ready to hibernate for the winter. That’s like eating 37 Big Macs in one day.

But no bears had been spotted in the 1400 block of North St. in Boulder before Tuesday.

“It’s very exciting,” one neighbor said. “We’re used to having a lot of deer in the neighborhood, but bears are kind of unique.”

Wildlife officers eventually tranquilized the bear, and took him out of the tree where he was staying.

They took him back to the mountains.

This wasn’t the first bear to wander into Boulder this summer. Just five days ago, a bear closed down Eben G. Fine Park. Last month, a 300-pound bear followed his nose into an SUV ripping it to shreds before being taken away by wildlife officers.

Experts encourage homeowners in Boulder to bear-proof their backyards and keep trash indoors until garbage pick up day.

Grills should cleaned and locked up when they’re not in use.

Don’t leave any trash, food or pet food in your vehicle. Once a bear is determined, it’s not hard for him to break into a vehicle.