Enormous 400lb Black Bear Found Under Colorado Deck Is Biggest 'Ever Seen'

A giant bear has been removed from underneath a deck in a residential area of Durango, Colorado.

It took five wildlife officers and a tranquilizer dart to remove the roughly 400 pound bear from the property, which has now been relocated to a more suitable habitat.

"This bear may not have specifically chosen this deck to den underneath for the winter, but it may have been considering it," John Livingston, a spokesperson for Colorado's Department of Natural Resources, told Newsweek.

"All of our wildlife officers who reported to the scene described it as the biggest bear they had ever seen in the town."

After a month of gorging themselves on whatever food they can find, bears across the country are getting ready to settle down for the winter.

"This time of year [late-October], bears are on the search for a good, suitable den site to get through the winter," Livingston said.

"This deck provided good cover from weather elements because of the direction it was facing on the back of the house. There were also apple trees nearby that would continue to provide a food source for a little while."

Across the U.S., bear sighting have been on the rise in recent years, with many reports coming from residential areas. "So far this year, we have had 4,009 reports to Colorado Parks and Wildlife regarding bear activity," Livingston said.

Dana Wilson, a spokesperson for the conservation group Wildlife SOS, explained why we are seeing this rise in reports: "There are more people living and recreating in traditional bear habitats, and wildlife spaces are shrinking," he told Newsweek. "As bears become habituated to people, they become less fearful.

"Wild animals have adapted to thrive in urban settings. But generally, wildlife would rather steer clear of humans. We're dangerous animals ourselves."

After removing the bear from under the deck, the team performed a quick health examination and gave the bear a reversal drug to counteract the effects of the tranquilizer.

"We decided to relocate the bear so it wouldn't get any ideas about sticking around this residential neighborhood," Livingston said.

"Some of our Colorado bears become habituated to being in residential areas, and so the noise of cars or human activity is not always a strong enough deterrent to keep these animals away."

"If there are not enough natural food sources—acorns, chokecherries, berries—in the wilderness for these bears, they will start to come into residential areas more often. In town, they will find unsecured trash, fallen fruit or in some cases beehives, chicken feed and bird feed that people leave unsecured."

Livingston said there are simple steps homeowners can take to reduce the likelihood of a bear entering their property.

"We try to educate people as much as we can on securing their trash, picking up falling fruit and removing bird feeders and other attractants that bears can smell from long distances that bring them into town," he said.

"We always want people to give these animals space and to remember that they are wild animals that can become aggressive. If a bear is around someone's home, they should call their local wildlife office immediately to report it. People can also try to haze that bear away from their property by banging on pans, yelling, setting off their car alarm, etc.

"You don't want a bear to become comfortable around your home, so make it feel uncomfortable being there."