iStockphoto
Black bear next to garbage truck
Bears across the United States are currently gearing up for their upcoming hibernation by packing on as many pounds as possible. That includes one in Colorado that probably thought it struck gold after making its way into a dumpster only to end up climbing on top of the garbage truck it got tossed into by workers picking up the trash.
“Hyperphagia” is the scientific term used to refer to the part of the year when bears begin to prepare for the months-long slumber they enter when winter rolls around. Those animals can gain hundreds of pounds in anticipation of hibernation, and they do so by spending close to a month eating virtually everything and anything they can get their paws on.
The grizzlies at the center of the beloved annual tradition that is Fat Bear Week largely rely on salmon plucked directly from an Alaskan stream for their Massive Gainz, but many animals in other parts of the country have to get a bit more creative when it comes to tracking down food.
People who live in Bear Country need to be particularly cautious when autumn rolls around, as those mammals tend to be a bit more aggressive towards humans and decidedly more daring when it comes to the lengths they’ll go to in search of their next meal.
We’ve already been treated to some examples of that reality in Colorado this year, and that state was recently the site of an unexpected encounter involving a garbage truck.
A bear climbed on top of a garbage truck in Colorado after being tossed into the back with the trash inside a dumpster it invaded
Colorado is believed to be home to upwards of 20,000 black bears, which primarily reside in the western half of the state in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains. They aren’t particularly shy about wandering into highly populated areas, which was the case with one that made its way into the town of Castle Rock south of Denver last week.
According to KDVR, a Colorado Springs resident named Scott Gillespie pulled out his phone after spotting a bear standing on top of a Waste Management garbage truck that was parked in a lot where the Douglas County School District stores its buses.
He told the outlet he believes the bear was inside a dumpster the truck had cleared out before ending up in the back with the rest of the trash, saying, “I actually saw the paws of the bear and the head sticking out from the inside of the truck looking around” before it let out the “tiniest little growl you’ve ever heard.”
Check this out! A bear was spotted on top of a garbage truck in Castle Rock pic.twitter.com/9YI5tHasJb
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) September 20, 2026
The bear proceeded to climb down the side of the truck and onto the pavement before the sanitation workers who rudely disturbed it helped chase it away from the area.
Colorado has experienced a sizable increase in bear encounters over the course of 2026 linked to a drought that has impacted their natural food supply, and it seems safe to assume those numbers are only going to keep rising over the next couple of months.