‘Big ol’ butterball bears’ show off their winter bods in Colorado. See them
Even after their long winter fasts, “big ol’ butterball bears” in Colorado are still sporting pretty hefty hibernation bods, officials said.
“Seeing BIG bears in the spring is more common than you might think,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a May 28 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Take these bears for example, who are still showing a bit of their winter bod. While bears do lose weight during the winter, it isn’t incredibly dramatic.”
An exceptionally fat bear caught the attention of Colorado wildlife officials back in October, just before bears started going into hibernation, McClatchy News previously reported.
“If they prepare well for the cold months, they go into their dens pretty large & come out just a little smaller in the spring,” officials said. “By now, bears have been active for about a month — eating grasses & other plant material to wake up their stomachs from a winter with no food.”
Videos show a chunky bear waddling along past a trail camera and another big bear gorging on grass in a field.
Wildlife officials stressed the importance of keeping bears far away from human food, both in the spring and throughout the rest of the year.
“Bears need to stay on natural food sources all year long,” officials said. “Bears are gonna bear & we need you to do your part. That means storing trash properly, limiting access to human food & being bear wise. Visit our website, learn more & be bear prepared this season.”
This story was originally published May 29, 2025 at 6:24 PM with the headline "‘Big ol’ butterball bears’ show off their winter bods in Colorado. See them."
