DENVER — The northeast region of Colorado, which includes the Front Range, is dealing with the worst bear problem it has seen in decades.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said a shortage of natural food for the bears is to blame. Poor weather conditions last fall and in the spring crippled their food resources.

“They’re supplementing a lot with human food resources,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said.

Bears have been breaking into homes and stores, and stealing pet food from populated areas. The problem started to pick up in mid-July to early August, Parks and Wildlife said.

“We’re still not even done,” Churchill said. “Until we get some snow and it gets really cold, bears are still going to be looking hard for food.”

Figures released by Parks and Wildlife show how bad the problem is compared to last year:

Other parts of Colorado such as Aspen-Snowmass are doing better when it comes to the bear population. The food issue seems to only be a big problem along the Front Range.