The struggle between Man and Beast is an all too familiar one. Years ago, wild animals were considered a menace in some areas, were they ruined crops and destroyed livestock. In turn, they were killed without a second thought.
After several years of society becoming more accepting of these animals, some have become revered as a symbol of wildlife, the vast western wilderness, the last great frontier and such.
In the resort area of Vail Colorado, the black bear has become that symbol to both tourists and locals. Homes in Vail are being built on land which has been inhabited by wild animals include Deer, Elk and Black Bears. With the continued building growth of new homes and condominiums in their backyard, these animals are finding it a challenge to find food. The irony is that while these animals have come to be appreciated and even loved, more harm is being brought to them with the increase of tourists and locals moving to Vail. More people bring with them more traffic and more trash. I-70 which is the main highway that runs right through Vail sees hundreds of animals either dead or injured by cars hitting them. Human trash left out in non Bear Proof containers, beckons the Bears to feast. Bears will then continually visit a home where they have found food and some even go so far as to enter into the home. When a Bear continues to “visit” neighborhoods, he is now back to being a menace to society and killed. As instinct now becomes a menace as opposed to the people who are so careless as to attract the Bear to them.
Another factor to the detriment of the Bear is Global warming. The changing climate is affecting the Bears food supply either by early frost or drought killing the much needed berries and acorns. Some Bears learn that if they can’t find food in the Forest, head to the dumpsters.
In Edwards Colorado, a neighboring town roughly 20 minutes from Vail, a resident tells his Bear Tale. A Bear entered into his home where the doors were unlocked, pulled the freezer from the wall and helped himself to a bag of garbage, which he took with him. A scary event, the owner did not involve the wildlife department which so many people do. He accepts that this was the Bears home and that we humans have taken it over. Also he accepts that carelessness in living food out and even doors unlocked is the fault of the human and not the Bear. Lastly, some people feel that a Bear looking for food is still a lot less harmful and scary than a human looking for money.
As more and more city dwellers want to spend time in the mountains, this is having a large negative impact on the bears. People want to live near rivers and forests and so do the bears. As land diminishes at the lower levels of the Valley, building up the mountain is becoming more widespread which of course is forcing Bears to look for food and refuge elsewhere. Places like Bachelor Gulch, Cordillera and Arrowhead were once wide open places where the Bear and other wildlife roamed freely. Now these areas are big developments of luxury homes, golf courses and ski runs.
It is not just those that come to live in the Vail Valley but those that visit as well. An increase in Fishermen, hikers and campers are beginning to overwhelm the land, the animals and the Bears. The more people doing outside activities, the more trash that is left behind. Also, since Bears are actually scarred of people, the more campers around the rivers and lakes the less chance for the Bears to find water.
So who seems to be contributing the most to the Bear problem? Since Vail is an area that consist largely of second home owners, ski-bums and transient works, these people are less likely to care about what happens to the town and the environment. They are the greatest offenders of leaving out trash, not getting bear proof containers or not cleaning their grilles after a barbeque and sometimes it is just plain ignorance, not reading the paper to find out what is happening with the Bears or not paying attention to prevent things from happening.
So what of the future of Vail, Aspen and similar resort mountain towns with the Bears? More laws will not help the problem. It is up to people to take responsibility, both the people buying and renting houses and condominiums, the developers who are building them and the governments who are allowing them to be built. When people make a decision on how much the land can hold versus protecting what is on the land, then there may be harmony between Man and Beast.
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