DENVER -- Wildlife officials say throngs of onlookers just make it more difficult for them to do their job when bears wander into the metro area.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife prefers to deal with the wayward bears by herding them back into the foothills. But crowds of spectators make the job more difficult.

As a result, the bears often have to be tranquilized, fitted with an ear tag and moved. Under Colorado's two-strikes law, that ear tag is a death warrant if the bear has to be relocated again.

Division of Wildlife officials said that a frightened bear is not only tougher to track, it's also tougher to sedate. And crowd control often proves the most difficult task of all.

"With a couple of incidents recently, it's turned into a little circus," said Kathy Cable, spokeswoman for the Lakewood Police Department. "If the public would just stay out of the way and let the officers do their job, it would be better for all involved. Chasing bears only puts their welfare at risk."

Wildlife officials understand people are naturally curious about bears. But like all wildlife, bears need space.

"If people want to live in a state that does have excellent wildlife resource, they need to learn how to live with that wildlife," said Todd Malmsbury, DOW spokesman. "And that includes not overreacting when they see a large animal such as a bear, or for that matter an elk or mountain lion."

Though statistics aren't available, Malmsbury said that bear sightings in the metro area this summer are the most in at least two decades. Bears encounters are also adding up in towns along the southern Front Range.

A late frost that killed berries and acorns at the beginning of summer has left bears scrambling for food as they try to pack on fat before going into hibernation.

But Malmsbury said that people have to resist the urge to feed wandering bears. He said when bears get used to people, the bear loses every time.

Last year, 130 nuisance bears were killed by landowners or wildlife officers, a number the state may surpass this year.

Additional Resources:

• Living In Bear Country
• DOW: The Black Bear