A bear cub, barely out of the den, was killed Thursday by a vehicle on Florida Road near Chapman Hill.

“We had a report Monday about a sow and two cubs hanging out around the ice rink,” said Patt Dorsey, the area wildlife manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife in Durango. “I have to assume that the cub that was killed, a female, was one of them.”

Dorsey said the cub was tiny.

“It would have been born in the den in January weighing less than one pound,” Dorsey said. “It probably weighed 10 pounds when it was killed.”

The DOW picks up dead wildlife and holds the animals, refrigerated, for a short time in case it can serve an educational or scientific purpose, Dorsey said.

“The sow eventually will move on,” Dorsey said. “But she may come back looking for her missing cub. It’s instinct.”

The cub is the first bear killed by a vehicle this year, Dorsey said.

In 2010, 10 bears were killed by vehicles in the area and 18 were killed by wildlife agencies or landowners.

“What we should learn from this is that it’s the time when baby wildlife is out on the ground,” Dorsey said. “Be on the lookout if you’re driving.”

If a baby wild animal is found, Dorsey said, the best course of action is to leave it alone.

Dorsey also would like dog owners to control their pets.

“Dogs are hard on wildlife,” Dorsey said.

Bears that live at lower elevations frequently come into contact with humans, ursine experts say. The contacts can be fatal, as was the one Thursday.

Bears also get into trouble when they become too familiar with humans, the experts say. The familiarity brings the bears into urban areas where they often find food – garbage cans, bird feeders and barbecue grills – readily available.

Bears soon learn it’s easier to find a meal in town than in the woods. Once accustomed to human food, bears become aggressive to the point of breaking into garages or houses to find food.

If a bear becomes too bold, the Division of Wildlife captures it. If the bear is lucky, it will be relocated. If not, it’s put down as a danger to people.

daler@durango herald.com