Bear Encounters Are Up In New Mexico. Here's Why.

New Mexico News Insiders · Oct 20, 2026 · 41m

New Mexico is home to an estimated 9,000 black bears. This year, more of them are crossing paths with people. By early August, the New Mexico Department of Wildlife had received 230 bear reports, up from 159 in 2025. So what's driving the increase? A dry winter and unusually dry, hot summer have made it harder for bears to find natural food, pushing them closer to neighborhoods. In August, a 67-year-old man was killed in a bear attack on the Navajo Nation. It was the state's first fatal bear mauling in more than 20 years. To learn more about this anomaly year for bear encounters, Chris and…