Have You Seen This? Bears go viral in Colorado as wildlife officials urge caution

ASPEN, Colorado — It's that time of year when bears bulk up for winter.

But according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, drought-driven food shortages are driving bear sightings in neighborhoods and other residential areas to new highs this year.

As of the end of September, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said more than 11,000 human-bear encounters had been reported.

Aspen, Colorado, in particular seems to be having an eventful bear season.

Andy Barrow was recently visiting Aspen when his viral bear encounter happened. Barrow was reading a book when a bear walked up right next to him.

"I'm from New York, so I don't know the first thing about bears," Barrow told CBS Colorado. "I guess either you're supposed to run or you're supposed stay totally still. Like, I was thinking about the T-Rex in Jurassic Park."

But by the time he was figuring out his options, Barrow says the bear had come up to him. So he decided to stay as still as he could and continue looking at his book.

"The bear came over, gave me a sniff, moved on," he said.

It wasn't until after the encounter was over that Barrow says he became really anxious.

His encounter came on the heels of another viral bear video from Aspen in which a hungry bear found the perfect treats at a pastry booth at the Aspen Farmer's Market. The video shows the bear enjoying the tasty treats while some onlookers took pictures and others seemed oblivious to what was happening.

The bear later left the area on his own after climbing a tree.

Some wildlife officials are now cautioning residents not to put pumpkins on their porches too early for Halloween, or you may find a bear doing some early Trick-or-Treating.

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