By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Rio Rancho’s summer bear surge continued Tuesday when police and state wildlife officers tranquilized and relocated an animal roaming the Cabezon neighborhood.
Working alongside the New Mexico Department of Wildlife, RRPD safely tranquilized the animal Tuesday morning and confirmed it will be relocated to Northern New Mexico. Officials say this bear is not the same one spotted roaming Rio Rancho neighborhoods in recent weeks.
That distinction matters because this is far from Rio Rancho’s first bear rodeo this year. In July, a bear wandering through Enchanted Hills triggered a shelter-in-place order before it slipped out of city limits toward the Santa Ana Reservation. The very next morning, cameras caught a bear touring Enchanted Hills backyards and an apartment complex near Highway 550, alarming enough residents that one 13-year-old jogger mistook it for a large poodle before diving behind a parked car.
State wildlife officials have pointed to a familiar culprit: drought. Dry conditions this spring and summer have thinned out food and water at higher elevations, pushing bears toward neighborhoods — and unsecured trash cans — in search of an easy meal.
More Details:
- A bear was tranquilized and captured in Rio Rancho in mid-August after a resident reported photos of it to wildlife officers.
- A separate bear sighting was reported in May near Cottonwood Mall and Paradise Hills Golf Course; it’s unclear whether that animal was ever caught.
- Wildlife officials say bear-proof trash cans are less common in Rio Rancho than in mountain communities, making garbage an “all-you-can-eat buffet” for hungry bears.
See a bear in your neighborhood?
- Non-emergency: NM Department of Wildlife, (888) 248-6866
- Immediate danger: Call 911
- Keep pets indoors and food secured outside