Colorado’s Division of Wildlife is pleading with the public to leave bears alone.

For many Coloradans, seeing a bear is exciting, especially if it’s meandering about in an urban area. The urge to stop and stare is natural and irresistible. But a crowd clamoring for a peek at Colorado’s largest carnivore can mean death for the bear, and be dangerous for people.

“When someone spots a bear, a crowd gathers, then the bear runs up a tree, and then we can’t get it down without injuring it,” said Katie Kinney, an area wildlife manager based in Loveland.

Division officers routinely have problems with crowds when a bear is spotted. At a recent bear sighting in the Denver area, a Boy Scout troop leader pulled up with a van full of Scouts to get a look at the bear. Last year, a woman could be heard telling others to clear a path to a bear spotted in town “so the kids can see.”

News helicopters often hover overhead, scaring bears and prompting them to flee through neighborhoods and yards.

The more people that gather around, the greater the chance the bear will end up dead.

If officers have to tranquilize and move a bear, it counts as one strike under the Division’s “two strike” nuisance bear policy. A bear will be tagged and relocated once, but if is found causing a problem again, it will be destroyed.

Last year, at least 65 bears were trapped and relocated by the DOW and 17 bears were destroyed for having two strikes against them. The year before, 96 bears were trapped and relocated.