CPW euthanizes sick bear in Durango with trash blocking upper intestines

John Livingston
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW CPW euthanizes sick bear in Durango with trash blocking upper intestines

Sept. 9, 2026

DURANGO, Colo. – Trash kills bears. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were once again faced with that ugly truth Saturday in Durango.

CPW took a report Saturday of a black bear behind someone's home on Delwood Avenue that appeared lethargic and unresponsive to human presence. When District Wildlife Manager Luke Clancy arrived, he heard the bear moaning and observed it was incredibly bloated. It was unable to move aside from standing up and pivoting from one side to another.

After darting the bear and performing a health assessment, three CPW officers made the decision to euthanize the roughly 300-pound male bear.

The officers conducted a field necropsy and discovered the stomach and upper intestine were completely blocked with trash, including entire plastic garbage bags and at least 10 non-flushable cleaning wipes. The lower intestine was empty, which further indicated that the passage was fully blocked above.

“This is the sad reality of bears eating trash,” said Clancy. “We had not seen this bear since 2012, when it was caught during the research study in Durango. We estimated this bear was now 18 years old. It’s a pretty horrible way to die for a wild bear that we hadn’t seen involved in any conflict or nuisance behavior in all these years.”

District Wildlife Manager Stephanie Taylor noted the plastic was so compacted in the upper intestine that the bear no longer would have been able to digest food and would have slowly starved to death over the course of months if it didn’t die from illness or infection sooner.

A bear matching the size and coloration of this bear had broken into multiple homes one block away approximately one month earlier. After reviewing photos and videos submitted by the homeowners, the wildlife officers deemed that this was more likely than not the same bear that had entered the homes. CPW already had a trap set five houses away for a bear that had broken into a home three days earlier.

Despite a lack of natural foods for bears below 7,500 feet around the Durango area this year because of a late spring freeze and prolonged, historic drought, the health of the bear euthanized Saturday served as another example of why bears should not have access to human-provided food sources such as unsecured trash.

“We’ve all heard the oft-repeated phrase ‘garbage kills bears’ for years,” said Bryan Peterson of Bear Smart Durango. “And many have asked how in the world does trash get bears killed? Well, in many ways, but sometimes literally. Our community's tepid approach to trash management got a bear killed. Thankfully, its pain and suffering was ended.”

Clancy said this incident is an urgent reminder to the public – residents, visitors and business owners alike – to properly secure trash to avoid human-bear conflict. 

“We are in the midst of a uniquely bad bear year that will likely only get worse before it gets better,” Clancy said. “If I can pass anything along to our community it would first and foremost be to stay safe, and second to keep bears safe. Securing trash and other attractants assures both.”

According to Durango Ordinance No. O-2018-6 amended April 17, 2018, all trash and recycling containers, regardless of location within the city, shall be secured or stored in such a manner as to prevent wildlife from accessing the contents of such containers. It is the intent of this section to encourage the proper storage of trash and recyclable materials for purposes of minimizing conflicts between wildlife and citizens of the city. The provisions of this section shall apply to all owners, occupants and other persons in charge of premises in the City. It is unlawful for the owner or occupant of any property within the city to fail to prevent wildlife from removing or scattering rubbish, garbage or trash from a trash container assigned to or associated with that property or to otherwise fail to keep such property free of refuse, rubbish, garbage, or trash.

Failure to comply with the wildlife protection ordinance related to residential trash can result in a fine of $100 for the first offense and $200 for a subsequent offense.

Under Colorado law, a person is guilty of a crime for placing food or edible waste in the open to lure a wild bear. That law was strengthened by HB26-1342 this year, with the amended law going into effect as of Aug. 12, 2026.

The act:

• Lowers the mental state requirement from intention to knowingly placing the food or edible waste in the open in circumstances where there is a reasonable probability of luring a wild bear;
• Repeals the requirement that a first offense be given a warning; and
• Raises the fine for a third or subsequent offense from $2,000 to $5,000.

Live BearWise®. Keep bears wild.
As a member of BearWise, CPW encourages everyone to share BearWise information with their neighbors and communities to help prevent conflicts with bears. CPW asks all residents and visitors to help save Colorado’s bears by being actively bear prepared throughout the year. Human-bear conflicts are most often traced back to human behavior. Living BearWise is the most effective way to prevent human-caused conflicts with bears.

Six At-Home BearWise Basics

1. Never Feed or Approach Bears - Intentionally feeding bears or allowing them to find anything that smells or tastes like food teaches bears to approach homes and people looking for more. Bears will defend themselves if a person gets too close, so don’t risk your safety and theirs!
2. Secure Food, Garbage and Recycling - Food and food odors attract bears, so don’t reward them with easily available food, liquids or garbage.
3. Remove Bird Feeders When Bears Are Active - Birdseed and grains have lots of calories, so they’re very attractive to bears. Removing feeders is the best way to avoid creating conflicts with bears.
4. Never Leave Pet Food Outdoors - Feed pets indoors when possible. If you must feed pets outside, feed in single portions and remove food and bowls after feeding. Store pet food where bears can’t see or smell it.
5. Clean & Store Grills - Clean grills after each use and make sure that all grease, fat and food particles are removed. Store clean grills and smokers in a secure area that keeps bears out.
6. Alert Neighbors to Bear Activity - See bears in the area or evidence of bear activity? Tell your neighbors and share information on how to prevent conflicts with bears. Bears have adapted to living near people; now it’s up to us to adapt to living near bears.