Western Slope Wildlife Centers Overwhelmed by Orphaned Bear Cubs

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is rescuing significantly more abandoned black bear cubs this year as extreme environmental conditions have severely limited natural food sources, straining bear families' ability to prepare for winter. The Pauline Schneegas Wildlife Foundation in Silt and the Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Del Norte have both seen a substantial increase in cubs needing care, indicating a difficult year for bears across the state.

Rachael Gonzales, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northwest Region spokesperson, stated in an email that "Extreme drought conditions have limited natural forage in the higher elevations." She added that low mountain snowpack and wildfires have further reduced the availability of natural foods like berries, fruits, nuts, plants, and grasses. When food is scarce, a starving mother bear's milk can dry up, forcing her to abandon her cubs to fend for themselves.

Nanci Limbach, executive director and founder of the nonprofit Pauline Schneegas Wildlife Foundation in Silt, reported that her center has taken in more than 30 bear cubs this year, a sharp increase from the three cubs cared for last year, and significantly more than their annual average of five to ten. Limbach noted that a spring freeze played a critical role in the food shortage, damaging important sources such as berries and acorns, a nutritious fall food. She also observed that many creeks dried up, causing numerous bears to move into towns, stating that while drought contributed, the freeze initiated the problem.

Similarly, the Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Del Norte has admitted 41 cubs by late September, up from 29 last year and more than double its typical annual intake of roughly 20 bears, according to John Livingston, a CPW Southwest Region spokesperson. Livingston explained that CPW officials were finding cubs in late August that weighed only 17-18 pounds, which is the weight they should have reached by May. He said cubs should be at least 35-50 pounds by this time of year, attributing the influx to mothers unable to provide for their young, likely already malnourished before emerging from their dens.

Orphaned cubs arriving at the rehabilitation centers are fed natural foods, including fish, berries, and donated peaches from Colorado orchards. Caretakers at both the Silt and Frisco Creek facilities use visual barriers to prevent bears from associating humans with food, aiming to ensure they do not become accustomed to people. Once cubs reach 60-70 pounds and begin to display denning behavior, they are released back into the wild. The Silt facility places cubs in den boxes attached to large cages before transporting them to natural snow caves in February, from which they emerge in spring. The Frisco Creek facility has a similar process, also performing “hard releases” for cubs weighing at least 60 pounds by November, allowing them to find their own dens.

The increased struggle for food has led to a surge in human-bear conflicts. Preliminary data from CPW shows that reported bear incidents in Colorado are at a record high for 2026, with 8,672 reports of bear-related sightings and incidents by August 31, 2026, compared to 3,680 reports through August 2025. This represents 3.6 times the five-year average. As a result, 98 bears were relocated in 2026, up from 33 in the same period last year, and 294 bears have been euthanized, compared to 83 through August 2025.

Bears typically spend up to 20 hours a day in late summer and fall foraging to build fat reserves for winter hibernation. When natural food is scarce, bears are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as entering neighborhoods. Cubs can also become orphaned if their mother is struck by a vehicle, shot by a landowner defending livestock, or euthanized by wildlife officials after breaking into homes or attacking humans.

Livingston noted that bears are adapting to a changing climate, with warmer and shorter winters, and cited the rescue of a yearling with burnt paws from the Aspen Acres fire as an example. In May, Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 26-1342, which strengthens penalties for individuals who knowingly leave out food or other edible waste that attracts bears, excluding agricultural practices.

Beyond bears, CPW-licensed wildlife rehabilitation centers also provide care for injured raptors, beavers, raccoons, bobcats, mountain lions, and otters.