Jessica Shawcroft
The Paw Print
On Thursday, September 12, 2013 Adams State University had a bear and her cub walking through the campus. These bears weren’t grizzlies but it is fun to think about our mascot coming to visit the college! Maybe they wanted to see how classes were going? Actually, here in Colorado we have black bears, not grizzlies. Black bears may look cute, I think they do, but they are dangerous. The school issued a safety alert for students and faculty; it is important that we don’t get too close to the bears or put ourselves in the place of danger. As we look into bear attacks and bear behaviors, grizzlies are much more vicious than black bears. From researching online, a person is more likely to get struck by lightning than be attacked by a bear. These bears seem to be looking for food in trash bins, rather than a tasty human to much on. A lot of people say animals are making their way into the town because of the deer population we have. A voting was done to remove the deer but people decided they liked them here and didn’t want to send them away. I agree. The deer are cute to look at and fun to have around town. People who visit from out of town or from cities don’t get a chance to see deer like we do. It’s exciting to see the deer around town and not in everyone’s normal day activities. At the same time, is it worth the animals it’s bringing in?
This isn’t the first time bears have rolled into town. In 2011, bears were spotted on campus as well. The bears were lounging around in the trees on campus and rummaging through the trash cans. It’s important for us to remember just how close we are to the mountains and these animals’ habitats. Around this time of the year, fall, bears start looking for food. They need the proper amount of nutrients before they hibernate; it is important that bears eat a lot of food and put on pounds before they hibernate. A lot of items we have on campus and in our homes attract the bears in. Bird feeders, gardens, and our trash bins all draw bears attention to town. I saw a video online not too long ago, of a bear stealing a trash bin, I’m talking the entire dumpster, from a restaurant. The owners had to review the tape and, sure enough, the bear was in the dumpster. It then got out and, on two paws, wheeled the dumpster out of the alley and away from view! This is another thing to think about. Bears are hungry; they are searching for food and we provide a lot of waste they could eat. I don’t think this will be the last time we see bears in our town and I don’t think this will be the last time we will see them on campus.
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