Bears of Durango

Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 / Stream now with the PBS App

An adventure-filled exploration of conservation science, "Bears Of Durango" embeds with a dynamic team of wildlife researchers tasked with conducting a black bear study in Durango, Colorado.

In response to an exponential increase in black bear-human conflicts — including bears breaking into cars and homes, and cubs getting trapped in garages — Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioned a six-year study to determine the factors behind the state-wide trend, and to propose solutions to quell it. The film invites viewers to consider their own regions and backyards, and how they can better cohabitate with the wildlife around them.

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Three Bear cubs

American Public Television

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Bears of Durango

Lucy Call / American Public Television

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Dusty Hulet holding three young bears cubs.

American Public Television

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Bears of Durango

Lucy Call

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Wildlife technician Lyle Willmarth wrangles a bear cub at its den near Durango, Colorado. Willmarth was part of a team of Colorado Parks and Wildlife researchers tasked with visiting the dens of radio-collared bears each winter for six years, monitoring the health and survival rates of black bears living along southwest Colorado's urban-wildland interface.

Lucy Call

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A dynamic team of wildlife researchers tasked with conducting a black bear study in Durango, Colo.

Dusty Hulet

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Bear claws

American Public Television

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Bear cub with mother bear

American Public Television

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Lucy Call and Dusty Hulet doing a health check on a bear.

American Public Television

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Examination of a black bear

American Public Television

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Instruments used to measure and check the health of bears

American Public Television

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