A human was eaten by a bear in Colorado

If you needed another reminder that Colorado’s bears are not the cuddly mascots on your craft beer cans, here it is: The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office says human remains discovered on the Grand Mesa last weekend had been consumed by a bear and likely other wildlife. Deputies responded Sunday to a report of possible remains near the Wild Rose Picnic Area off Lands End Road, where they found what was left of an unidentified person scattered and scavenged across the area.

Before you cancel your camping trip, authorities want to be very clear about one thing — there is no indication the person was actually killed by a bear. The cause of death is undetermined, and both the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado Parks and Wildlife emphasized the incident poses no threat to public safety. The Mesa County Coroner’s Office is working to identify the deceased and determine the official cause and manner of death. Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen suspicious activity near the Wild Rose Campground between June 22 and July 5 to contact Investigator Jenna Reed at 970-244-3274.

Still, the discovery adds to what’s shaping up to be a banner year for bear encounters in Colorado. CPW had already logged 1,192 reports of bear activity statewide as of mid-June — a spike officials blame on the warm, dry winter that torched natural food sources and sent bears roaming deeper into neighborhoods and campgrounds. The state recorded its first bear attack of 2026 on June 21, when a black bear stalked a hiker for 30 minutes at Apex Park near Golden before scratching her leg. And just last week, a bear in Steamboat Springs helped itself to a contractor’s lunch after climbing into his truck through an open window. The Grand Mesa — the largest flat-top mountain in the world, sitting at over 10,000 feet between Grand Junction and Delta — is prime black bear country, and summer is peak season.

CPW’s advice for anyone heading into bear territory this summer: stay alert, hike in groups, keep dogs leashed, stash your food properly and know what to do if you see a black bear — which is stand still, back away quietly and absolutely do not run. Colorado has recorded 96 bear attacks on humans dating back to 1960, so the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor. But the bears are hungry, the bears are active, and as this week’s Grand Mesa discovery proves, they are not picky eaters.