A bear was spotting lumbering through central Cortez on Wednesday.
Dispatch received a call at 5:42 a.m. reporting a bear sighting near the Cortez Fire Department at 31 N. Washington St.
According to Cortez dispatch, the bear moved south toward Jackson Street and was last spotted near a residence behind the Children’s Kiva Montessori School at 601 N. Mildred Road, near Parque de Vida.
The bear, according to Lt. Rogelio Maynard, was not captured or relocated – but was a rare sighting in the urban landscape of Cortez.
“I’ve been here for 11 years and this is probably the third time in 11 years a bear has been in town,” Maynard said.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson John Livingston said the Cortez area wildlife officer did not receive a report on the bear but encouraged residents to call CPW’s Durango office at (970) 247-0855 for bear sightings in downtown areas.
As drought and fires intensify in Southwest Colorado, wildlife may seek food and refuge in cities which increases the likelihood of human-wildlife conflict, he said.
“We just have a lot of wildlife that’s displaced by that Ferris Fire,” Livingston said, referring to the more than 50,000-acre blaze burning 15 miles northwest of Dolores. “They’re seeking water, food and shelter and they’re going to be looking wherever they can to find that.”
He encouraged residents to pay attention to roads and highways to avoid car collisions with displaced animals and to keep pets on a leash on trails to avoid run-ins with elk, bears or deer.
“When you add in the fire, it’s just creating a situation where animals are going to be on the move more often,” Livingston said.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
