A record number of bears have entered city streets across western U.S. states, according to local authorities cited by Reuters on August 29.
Colorado recorded over 7,000 bear sightings in 2026—the highest since 2019. New Mexico has killed 187 bears this year, the most since 2011, while Utah euthanized 39 bears during the same period, exceeding any full-year count.
Despite the surge, fatal bear attacks in the western U.S. remain low, with only a few incidents recorded annually.
Heather Reich, a Nevada specialist, warned that if the ongoing drought persists, encounters with bears could escalate. “We can’t even imagine what awaits us in September and October,” she said. “It’s just going to be Armageddon for us.”
The situation has been further complicated by recent incidents: In Altai, a bear killed a 29-year-old tourist. Meanwhile, in northern Japan, on April 23, a 56-year-old firefighter searching for a missing woman was attacked by a bear while police and hunters were combing a mountainous area in Siwa city, Iwate Prefecture. His body was later found with signs of predator attack, and the predator was shot on the spot.
