Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers tranquilized and relocated a bear out of a residential area this week and are reminding the public to avoid habits that can attract wildlife.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officers first received a report on Monday evening that a bear was hit by a car near Ken Caryl Avenue and Kipling Parkway in Jefferson County. Officers received a second call reporting a bear in a tree in a nearby residential area. CPW officers and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies monitored the bear that evening. The officers believed it was the same bear reportedly hit by a car.

The bear stayed in the tree through the following morning. Officers decided to tranquilize the animal because it was unusual the bear did not move on, CPW District Wildlife Manager Jerrie McKee said in a news release.

“Oftentimes they pass through quickly. We suspected there was a reason that the bear didn’t come down the street on its own overnight,” McKee said.

The West Metro Fire Protection District helped tranquilize the bear on Tuesday morning. It did not appear to have injuries and was released that night into a bear habitat.

Bears are more active while they prepare to enter hibernation and spend up to 20 hours a day attempting to eat more than 20,000 calories. McKee urged people to put their trash out in the morning instead of the night before, and to stop putting out bird feeders until after Thanksgiving.

“Preventing bears from getting a food reward is key to keeping them from becoming habituated to human food sources,” McKee said.