Bears venture into homes and shops across the US West
A hungry pair of young black bears recently wandered into a home in Granby, Colorado, startling a resident who found them standing in his hallway. The animals eventually bolted through the front door, but the unusual intrusion is part of a much larger pattern unfolding across the American West, as reported by Reuters.
Matt Errico, a roofer in Granby, was sitting on the toilet when he heard noises in his Colorado home. He got up and found two young bears about the size of golden retrievers standing in his hallway. After a staring match, they bolted out the front door. Errico has had bears get into his garbage before, but the home invasion earlier in August was a first. "I've definitely never heard of bears inside, you know, cubs inside someone's house," he said.
The black bears, also spotted in a Granby vape shop, are among thousands heading into towns and cities across the US West in record numbers. Bears have been spotted in increasingly unlikely places, from homes and shops to school areas and busy neighbourhoods. In Colorado alone, wildlife officials have recorded more than 7,000 bear sightings in 2026, already surpassing the state's previous full-year record of about 5,400 sightings in 2019.
Drought drives bears to seek human food
At the heart of the problem is an unusually dry year across the western US. The region experienced an exceptionally dry winter, followed by drought conditions that have reduced the availability of plants, grasses, berries and nuts, foods that make up roughly 90% of a bear's natural diet, according to experts and state wildlife agencies cited by Reuters. That shortage is forcing bears to travel farther and take greater risks in their search for calories. Once they reach human settlements, they can find an irresistible alternative: garbage, pet food, bird seed, fruit trees and other easily accessible sources of food. Bears have an exceptionally strong sense of smell, making residential areas particularly attractive when natural food is scarce.
Bears have been spotted near a school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, climbed a tree close to a farmers market in Denver, and a bear cub recently wandered into a restaurant in Aspen. Colorado Parks and Wildlife received 6,129 reports of bear sightings and conflicts between January 1 and August 13, almost double the 3,115 reports recorded during the same period last year. The agency has also reported a significant increase in property damage linked to bears.
Rising conflicts across the West
Wildlife authorities have reported rising conflicts in New Mexico, Utah, Montana and California. In New Mexico, wildlife officials and landowners have killed 187 bears in 2026, the most since 2011. Utah euthanised 39 bears in 2026, a record for a full year, and at least 24 grizzlies died in Montana in 2026, most killed after attacking livestock or people or being struck by cars. At least six bear attacks have occurred in Colorado in 2026, and a man was killed by a grizzly bear in Montana's Glacier National Park in May, according to The Straits Times.
The increase in encounters is not solely due to drought. Decades of development have pushed homes and communities into areas that were once bear habitat. At the same time, conservation efforts have helped bear populations recover. Colorado is now home to an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 black bears, according to state authorities. The state's human population has more than doubled over the past 50 years, increasing the overlap between people and bears.
Experts warn of long-term changes
"It's like testing the bears in a way that they've never been tested before, and testing humans," said Jon Beckmann, a black bear expert. With the West's aridification expected to continue, experts fear bears may become habituated to human food and even stop hibernating should winters become too warm and wild food too scarce.
Heather Reich, a former Nevada bear manager, fears more encounters and sells electric doormats, as reported by The Straits Times. Livingston, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson, said clashes can end with a bear confronting someone in their kitchen.
Most bear encounters do not result in attacks, and experts stress that bears generally avoid humans. Fatal bear attacks remain extremely rare, with a handful each year. However, when animals become accustomed to finding food around people, the risk of conflict rises.
Experts are particularly concerned about the coming months. With natural food supplies already depleted, bears could become even more desperate before winter sets in. For residents, wildlife officials recommend securing food sources, such as using bear-resistant garbage containers, removing bird feeders and keeping pet food indoors. The message from wildlife experts is simple: once a bear learns humans are a reliable food source, it may keep returning, even after natural conditions improve.