A total of 567 bears were spotted in the Pikes Peak region last year, up 102% from 2024, but euthanasia is decreasing.

A report released on last week by Colorado Parks and Wildlife shows that bear encounters in the state were up 15% in 2025, with the agency receiving 5,299 reports of sightings; 861 came from southeast Colorado.

There were 5,022 reported encounters in 2024 and 3,528 in 2023.

An estimated 20,000 bears call the Centennial State their home. The top reason for encounters last year involved bears trying to access human food, with over 57% of encounters involving trash, according to the state wildlife agency.

The second-leading cause of bear interaction involved livestock (18%) and third was bird seed, pet food and outdoor appliances (16%), CPW reported.

“Natural food conditions were inconsistent across the state, influenced by localized droughts, late frosts, and variable precipitation. Some regions, particularly those with poor acorn and berry production, reported increased bear activity in residential areas, leading to property damage and vehicle collisions,” the wildlife agency stated in a news release.

Many of the 861 bears reported in southeast Colorado last year were seen around Colorado Springs, with 567 coming from El Paso County, the agency reported.

“Colorado Springs has a lot of bears, and most of the time, they aren’t causing a lot of trouble, so we just leave them be,” CPW spokesperson Joey Livingston said.

“The Broadmoor is a more common area to see bears, and so is Monument … a majority of our reports come from west of the 25 (Interstate 25),” he added.

In 2024, 281 bears were spotted in El Paso County.

While bear sightings in the county more than doubled from 2024, bear euthanasia was down. After 1.34% were put down in 2024, just 0.53% were in 2025, the agency reported.

Statewide, euthanasia was down, too; approximately 20% fewer bears were euthanized last year than in 2024.

Of 2025’s 5,299 bear sightings, 52 were relocated and 78 were euthanized. Both of those numbers are down from 2024, when of the 5,022 bears reported, 68 were relocated and 98 were euthanized.

“While educational initiatives and community efforts have helped mitigate some issues, the need for improved coexistence practices, including securing attractants and reinforcing bear-proofing measures, remains critical,” the news release stated.

TRACKING BEARS IN OUR BACKYARD

In 2019, Colorado Parks and Wildlife implemented a bear reporting system that aimed to track the progression of bear populations and monitor mitigation needs. Since its introduction, the agency has received 32,212 reports of bear sightings and conflicts with bears in Colorado.

Colorado Springs has a uniquely high bear population compared to other urban-areas in the state, Livingston said, due to its close proximity to America’s Mountain.

“The Springs is one of the higher areas of wildlife (in Colorado). There is a huge wildlife population — the mountains are right there,” Livingston said.

The state wildlife agency asks that anyone who spots bears or other wild animals causing mischief in urban areas report the sighting online at https://cpw.state.co.us/report-sighting.