Bear Tranquilized and Relocated After Climbing Tree in Denver's Platt Park
Denver's Platt Park residents on Sunday morning came upon an unusual discovery: a male bear sitting in a tree near East Louisiana Avenue and South Pennsylvania Street. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) responded to the scene, where officers tranquilized the animal and, with assistance from the Denver Police Department, caught it as it fell from the branches. Video posted by CPW showed the bear dropping through the tree before being secured on the ground.
"It didn't have the smoothest landing, but the bear is ok!" authorities wrote in a post on X, according to Fox News and the New York Post.
The bear, identified as an approximately 1.5-year-old male yearling weighing about 100 pounds, was transported to better habitat and released, CPW said. The agency's spokesperson, Kara Van Hoose, told The Denver Post that the bear was caught in a tarp and is now "on his way back to where bears should be — not Denver." Van Hoose added that the agency is unsure how the bear got into the city, as they had not taken reports of bear activity in the area.
The incident comes amid a notable increase in bear activity across Colorado this year. CPW has received 6,129 reports of bear sightings and conflicts between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13, compared with 3,115 during the same period last year, according to the agency. Officials attribute the rise largely to drought conditions that have reduced natural food sources, pushing bears into neighborhoods in search of food.
"You're not crazy, we are seeing more bear conflicts this year," CPW wrote on X. "The drought is forcing bears to seek food in our neighborhoods."
Van Hoose noted that Coloradans have experienced almost double the number of bear encounters this year, with the state on pace to record the highest number of bear reports since CPW implemented its statewide digital reporting system in 2019.
In response, wildlife officials are urging residents to take precautions to avoid attracting bears: securing trash until the morning of pickup, removing bird feeders, and keeping car doors and windows locked. CPW also warns that bears can become increasingly active as they prepare for winter, searching for calories to build fat reserves.
The Platt Park incident occurred just days after a mother bear and her cub wandered into Denver's Harvey Park neighborhood. CPW tranquilized and relocated those animals after they remained in the populated area for several days, as reported by Fox News and the New York Post.