YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Park staff
have had a busy summer responding to bears in campgrounds, backcountry
campsites and along roadsides. Visitors are reminded to stay at least 100 yards
away from bears at all times and to store food and scented items properly.
Once a bear acquires human food, it loses its fear of people and may become
dangerous. This process is called “habituation.” The park has killed two
habituated black bears this year and is trying to capture a third. All three
bears exhibited bold behaviors, showed no fear around people and have
demonstrated food-conditioned behavior.
Last month, at a backcountry campsite along Little Cottonwood Creek, a black
bear bit into an occupied tent and bruised a woman’s thigh. The bite did not
break the skin due to the tent fabric and thick sleeping bag. Rangers suspect
that this might have been a bear that gained access to human food in this same
area in previous years. Over subsequent days, rangers set up cameras and a
decoy tent at the campsite to determine if the bear would continue this
behavior. With rangers present, the bear returned and aggressively tore up the
decoy tent. The bear was killed on-site on June 11.
In early July, at a backcountry campsite along the Lamar River Trail, campers
left food unattended while packing up gear, allowing a black bear to eat
approximately 10 pounds of human food. Campers who visited the same campsite
the following evening had numerous encounters with the same bear. Their
attempts to haze the bear away failed. Rangers relocated multiple campers from
the area and the bear was killed on July 10. The incident is still under
investigation.
Since July 18, at the frontcountry Indian Creek Campground, a black bear has
caused property damage to tents and vehicles in its search for human food. Park
staff actively hazed the bear from the campground, but also set up cameras. If
the bear returns, managers will take appropriate actions based on the current
circumstances, including additional hazing or removal.
These incidents serve as unfortunate reminders that human carelessness doesn’t
just endanger people; it can also result in a bear’s death. Allowing bears to
obtain human food even once often leads to them becoming aggressive toward
people. All of us play a role in keeping both bears and people safe.
Yellowstone National Park does not typically relocate bears for three reasons:
1) There are no areas in the park to move the bear where it wouldn’t have the
continued opportunity to potentially injure someone and damage property, 2) surrounding
states do not want food-conditioned bears relocated into their jurisdictions,
and 3) adult bears have large home ranges, good memories and could easily
return to the original area.
It is common for visitors to observe black bears in Yellowstone. About 50
percent are black in color, others are brown, blond or cinnamon.
Learn more about what you can do at go.nps.gov/yellbearsafety.
