Two bears sighted in area; one captured

Veterinarian says cool temperatures forcing animals to find nontraditional food sources

Julie Ann Grimm | The New Mexican

5/15/2008 - 5/15/08

Hey Boo Boo, keep an eye on your picnic basket. Hungry bears descended on Santa Fe on Thursday.

State officials captured one bear near the Penitentiary of New Mexico in the morning and searched for a second bear spotted near Santa Fe High School around midday.

Searchers from the state Game and Fish Department as well as the city Police Department and Animal Control Division combed Arroyo de los Chamisos on the southeast side of town following reports from students who saw a bear on the high school campus that morning.

One student used his cell phone to capture video of the creature as it scaled a wall near the school's teen parenting center, according to Dan Williams, Game and Fish spokesman.

"I imagine that bear was probably pretty scared and got in the arroyo and ran off," said Williams. "We have not had any more reports."

Both bears in question are of the black bear species, said Williams. Despite their name, the bears can be various shades of brown or black.

A half-dozen county and city animal-control officers called out Thursday morning said they found bear tracks in the Arroyo de los Chamisos between Capshaw Middle School and Santa Fe High School. The tracks, all heading west, indicated the bear was about 2 years old and weighed about 150 pounds, they said.

The bear captured off N.M. 14 was about a year and a half old. She had been reported by several sources and was located under a structure on state Corrections Department land.

"She's out on her own looking to find her place in the world and having a hard time of it," said Williams, who noted the young, skinny bear had probably recently left her mother.

That bear was taken to the Wildlife Center in Española to make sure she is in good health before a planned return to the wild, he said. Veterinarian Elizabeth Ramsay said this spring has been tough on bears because of unusually cool temperatures.

"Typically, we are warming up a lot more than we are now," she said. "So if you drive into the high country now you see that the aspen have not budded out and there is no grass. They do not have a food source there yet."

In the absence of those traditional food sources, bears are going after trash, bird feeders and other urban treats instead, she said.

The Santa Fe National Forest issued a news release Wednesday reminding those in the region that May is Be Bear Aware month. Spring is the time when bears and cubs emerge from their winter dens and may be attracted to easy sources of food, the agency said.

Williams said individuals who see bears in the urban area are welcome to call the department at 476-8000, but the best course of action is to leave the animal alone.

• Stop and back away slowly while facing the bear. Avoid direct eye contact since the bear may consider that a threat.

• Never get between a mother bear and her cubs.

• If the bear has not seen you, stay calm and slowly move away, making noise so the bear knows you are there.

• Do not run. Make yourself appear large by holding out your jacket. If you have small children, pick them up so they don't run.

• Give the bear plenty of room to escape so it doesn't feel threatened or trapped. If you are on a trail, step off on the downhill side and slowly move away.

• If a black bear attacks you, fight back using anything at your disposal, such as rocks, sticks, binoculars or your bare hands. Aim for the bear's nose and eyes.

Source: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish