Your bird feeder might be leading to animal deaths in Colorado

Photo Credit: Andrea Kessler (iStock).

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has taken to social media to remind the public about a beloved local species that can be put at risk by bird feeders – black bears.

While bird feeders are often used to bait avian varieties to someone's yard for viewing pleasure, bird feeders can also attract bears who view seed and suet as potential food. When bears are drawn into human environments, they get more comfortable around civilization and start to lose their fear of humans. This can lead to an increased likelihood of a negative human-bear interaction that can result in a bear being euthanized.

In their reminder post, CPW officials used an example of a bear that was spotted going after a bird feeder in Dolores. In that case, the bear already had tags in its ears signifying that it has caused problems in the past. This means that if the bear has another negative interaction or enters a living space, it will be killed as part of the two-strike policy followed by the department. The bird feeder and the way it encourages this animal to live closer to human habitat could ultimately be a factor in the bear's death.

While it's best for local wildlife for people to remove bird feeders from Colorado yards during times of the year when bears are active, there are other options for attracting winged friends to the front yard.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends planting brightly-colored, trumpet-shaped flowers to attract birds. Bird feeders can also be used when temporarily placed outside and brought in after use.

Do your part to keep Colorado's bears safe and be mindful of your bird feeder use. Water bowls, trash, fallen fruit, and dirty grills outside can also be dangerous attractants for bears.

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Spencer McKee is OutThere Colorado's Director of Content and Operations. In his spare time, Spencer loves to hike, rock climb, and trail run. He's on a mission to summit all 58 of Colorado's fourteeners and has already climbed more than half.

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