Yosemite Bear Facts — July 21, 2024
Bear Incident Comparisons (year to date—previous years compared to 2024):
Bear Activity Summary: Bears have obtained unattended food from visitors and residents in Yosemite Valley and El Portal on multiple occasions. Tent cabins, picnic areas, and residential houses have all been targets of bears opportunistically finding food not properly stored. In Yosemite Valley, two tagged male bears have been actively seeking human food at picnic areas and tent cabin sites. As the raspberries dwindle, apples are becoming the main draw for bears in Yosemite Valley. Untagged bears have been observed foraging on apples and leftover raspberries, sometimes in close proximity to people. In El Portal, a female bear continues to approach and find food in and around unsecured residences. Fruiting trees in El Portal are also a current draw for bears to spend time too close to people and homes—please pick your fruit!
In early July, a human-bear encounter resulted in a minor injury to a hiker who inadvertently collided with a bear on Happy Isles Rd. The tagged bear had just obtained garbage from Upper Pines and ran into hiker walking down the road without a light.
Red Bear, Dead Bear: Please help protect wildlife by obeying speed limits and being prepared to stop for animals in roadways. Eleven bears have been hit by vehicles with two confirmed dead. One cub was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center last week, it is likely the mother was hit by a vehicle.
Fascinating Bear Facts: Bears can travel great distances to return to a known food source. Relocated bears frequently return within days in Yosemite, and in the process of returning, risk encountering vehicles as well as human development. For this reason, YNP usually avoids relocating bears.
Other Wildlife: Summer is here! The Northern Pacific rattlesnake is a venomous species found in Yosemite. These snakes have excellent camouflage and are easy to miss when hiking hot, dusty trails, or scrambling through talus fields. Always check under objects and rocks when sitting to snack, and if you encounter a rattlesnake, give it plenty of room. Do not try to move the animal, it will move off trail on its own if given space.
Please report bear incidents and sightings:
Yosemite Bear Facts — July 06, 2024
Bear Activity Summary: At least two different bears have been very active in the northern Yosemite Wilderness, spending much time near the Vernon Lake campsites. Bears have been approaching campers and obtaining improperly stored food. Staff from multiple divisions have been doing targeted patrols in an effort to scare these bears away from people to prevent further incidents. Backcountry users are being reminded about the importance of proper wilderness food storage, and how to act quickly to scare a bear from a human occupied area by yelling and not abandoning food. A sow with two cubs has been active near the JMT and Mist trails.
Red Bear, Dead Bear: Please help protect wildlife by obeying speed limits and being prepared to stop for animals in roadways. Seven bears have been hit by vehicles with one confirmed dead.
Fascinating Bear Facts: Bears can travel great distances to return to a known food source. Relocated bears frequently return within days in Yosemite, and in the process of returning, risk encountering vehicles as well as human development. For this reason, YNP usually avoids relocating bears.
Other Wildlife: Summer is here! The Northern Pacific rattlesnake is a venomous species found in Yosemite. These snakes have excellent camouflage and are easy to miss when hiking hot, dusty trails, or scrambling through talus fields. Always check under objects and rocks when sitting to snack, and if you encounter a rattlesnake, give it plenty of room. Do not try to move the animal, it will move off trail on its own if given space.
Please report bear incidents and sightings: Call the Save-A-Bear Hotline at 209-372-0322 or e-mail yose_bear_mgmt@nps.gov.
Yosemite Bear Facts — April 27, 2024
2024 Total Bear Incidents: 0
2024 Total Property Damage: $0
Bear Incident Comparisons (year to date—previous years compared to 2024):
Fewest Incidents (2019) – down by 100%
Bear Activity Summary: Four male bears have been active in Yosemite Valley. Green 23, Yellow 20, and White 42 are GPS collared bears who have been causing bear jams in the Valley due to roadside forage. These bears are primarily grubbing in downed logs and grazing on shoots and grasses. Another untagged large male black-colored bear has been seen along riverbanks in the Valley frequently. Purple 1, a female bear who spends time in El Portal, has been active for over a month both in and out of town. Two other GPS collared females are still in or very near their winter den sites.
As bears emerge from hibernation, they will take advantage of any food they find. Cubs of the year and yearlings are especially vulnerable to learning negative behaviors as they encounter humans and human food sources. It is extremely important to keep unoccupied buildings secured (all windows and doors latched or locked), keep all food stored in bear lockers when camping, keep your vehicles clean of all food, drinks, and other attractants like toiletries or gum, only use bear proof dumpsters and trash cans to throw away your food waste, and keep your backpacks and food with you (within arm’s-reach) while out enjoying the park.
Red Bear, Dead Bear: Please help protect wildlife by obeying speed limits and being prepared to stop for animals in roadways. One yearling female was hit and killed by a car this past week. A gray fox was also hit and killed by a vehicle on the Big Oak Falt road near Foresta.
Fascinating Bear Facts: Bears break logs apart while searching for grubs (larvae of wood-boring beetles). This process not only feeds the bear, but supports the decomposition process and soil re-nutrition cycle.
Other Wildlife: Spring is here! Help protect baby wildlife by leashing pets and by keeping your distance. Please leave baby animals where you see them. Deer leave their fawns to go forage and return to them throughout the day. Fledgling birds may be on the ground under a nest as they learn how to fly. These behaviors are normal, and humans trying to help usually cause more harm than good.
Please report bear incidents and sightings:
Bear Ahead!
Photo Credit: Drew Wharton
Photo Credit: Drew Wharton
Photo Credit: Drew Wharton
For bears, their natural fear of people is an important instinct that keeps them safe. When a bear becomes habituated, losing its natural fear of people, other behaviors can change and dangerous situations can evolve with people. This is why rangers staffed these areas from late August through November. Rangers also created a fun new display to show people exactly how far they should be from a bear: a fun wooden bear silhouette designed to stand a 50 yards down a trail from a sign with bear information on it. This sign explained what to do if you see a bear, and demonstrated exactly how far visitors should remain from bears in order to help keep them wild. All these efforts, as well as the interest that visitors took to learn and understand their role in protecting wildlife in national parks, helped make a difference in these acorn eating bear’s lives.
HEY BEAR, HI BEAR, GO BEAR!! How and when to scare away a bear in Yosemite.
Here’s the situation: you are hanging out at your campsite or on a picnic area beach in Yosemite, when you hear a branch crack behind you. You turn around to find a bear approaching. What do you do?
You stand up, face the bear, wave your arms, and yell at the bear. We mean YELL at the bear, as loudly as you possibly can. Be aggressive with your voice and body language. You’re not just making noise; you’re scaring a bear away! You have to mean it for it to work.
Here are some examples of things you can yell:
HEY BEAR!!
GO BEAR!!!
GET OUT OF HERE BEAR!!
Or even just: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BEAR!!!!!!!!!
One half-hearted yell may not be enough to scare a bear. So, keep yelling LOUDLY and AGGRESSIVELY until the bear leaves. Yell, clap your hands, wave your arms, hit a stick against a tree, get other people to help you yell! You can even throw small objects like pinecones or small pebbles at the bear to help scare it. (You’re trying to gently hit the bear with the pebble or pinecone—not injure it: Bears don’t like being touched.) Don’t chase the bear; just use your voice to scare it away.
Do you have time to snap a quick picture? No!
Do you have time to look around for a pot to bang or a whistle to blow? No! Use your voice! Your voice is your most effective tool to scare a bear away (and you don’t have to go looking for it… unless you’re really scared).
When a bear is around people, it could be only moments away from getting food, so you need to make it feel unwelcome immediately. Once a bear is eating food, it will be harder to scare away and much more likely to return in search of more food, ultimately getting itself into more trouble. We also want bears to be immediately afraid of people (as they naturally are), rather than assuming most people aren’t scary.
Bears that consume human food typically have decayed and damaged teeth. But that’s not the only negative consequence: when a bear gets food from people, even just a banana, the bear will change its natural behavior. Bears are extremely food-driven and a bear that gets human food will often become so bold in its attempts at getting human food that it has to be killed to protect people. So, when you see a bear approaching you or in any developed area (e.g., campground, picnic area, trail, parking lot), it is important to scare it away immediately, stopping this cycle, and helping keep the bear wild and alive. Yes, yelling at a bear helps keep it alive.
What about when you see a bear in a meadow, in the wilderness, or anywhere else away from human development or people—should you scare it? Generally, no. Do you have time to snap a quick picture? Probably, if you are at least 50 yards away from the bear. It can be one of the best Yosemite experiences getting to watch a wild bear do wild bear things.
Are you having trouble envisioning scaring a bear away? This video shows what it sounds and looks like. This advice applies in Yosemite; always check local recommendations when visiting bear country.
Speeding Kills Bear
Photo Credit: NPS
Four Bears Hit by Vehicles in Yosemite this Month
Black bear mother and cubs (Photo: Robert G. Lester)
In the last three weeks, at least four bears were hit by cars in Yosemite, at least two of which were killed. The two bears that survived were hit by drivers going faster than the 25 mph speed limit and were seriously injured and limping. We will never know the severity of their injuries. It is important to remember that while traveling in the park, the posted speed limits are not only there to protect people, but to also protect wildlife in areas where animals cross roads. Following posted speed limits may save the life of a great gray owl as it flies across the road, or a Pacific fisher as it runs across the road, both of which are endangered species. This easy action—slowing down—may also prevent you from hitting a bear eating berries on the side of the road, or a deer crossing with its fawn. While traveling through Yosemite, try to remember that we are all visitors in the home of countless animals, and it is up to you to follow the rules that are put in place to protect them.
Have you ever noticed the signs by the side of the road that say, “Speeding Kills Bears” with the image of a red bear on them? These signs mark the locations of bears where they have been hit by a vehicle this year, or where bears have been frequently hit in previous years. We take these signs down each winter and put them up as the accidents occur, hopefully as a reminder to visitors to slow down and keep a lookout for wildlife. If you do hit an animal while in Yosemite and need immediate ranger response, you can report it to the park’s emergency communication center at 209/379-1992, or by leaving a message on the Save-A-Bear Hotline at 209/372-0322 if you believe that the animal is uninjured. You may also use the Save-A-Bear Hotline number to report non-urgent bear observations.
Do Yosemite Bears Hibernate?
It’s a simple fact that black bears spend their whole life following their stomachs, including in winter. Similar to the postman’s motto, “neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night,” keeps a bear from eating its fill. So for bears in Yosemite, winter denning is not associated with the weather so much as it is linked to food availability. There are years when oak trees make an over-abundance of acorns, considered a mast year, and bears can been seen all winter digging under feet of snow to feast on acorns. Similarly, it has been reported in other areas that bears will rouse from winter dens to take advantage of trash cans that are put out curbside every week on trash day. So while bear behavior can be motivated by both human and unnatural foods, it is not uncommon to find bear tracks in the snow and it is important to always lock up food in a hard-sided structure or in a food locker when visiting Yosemite.
Picture taken recently from the Yosemite Museum of a bear in the snow.
Recent tracks of several bears still active in Yosemite Valley despite winter storms.
The Scoop on Bear Poop
Scat (Photo: NPS)
You are walking along outside when you come upon a large pile of poop. How can you tell if it’s bear poop? Given the variation in their diets, bear scat from one bear can look very different from another bear. Poop from the same bear may look entirely different on different days. So, how can you tell?
Grass scat (Photo: NPS)
Black bears are omnivores and eat a wide range of foods including grass, roots, fruit, insects, fish, and animal carcasses. Their digestive system is similar to a human’s; they have a stomach and a small and large intestine. Some things will digest in the bear’s stomach and won’t be visible in the scat, while other things, like apple peels, seeds, fur, and bones will be present in the poop. Black bear poop can take on many shapes. The color and composition of their poop will change with the seasons, as does their diet. In the spring, bears eat a lot of grass and insects, so their poop is often green and tubular, with grass visible. In the late summer and fall, bear poop will be looser and in large plops, with berries and apple pieces visible.
Berry scat (Photo: NPS)
What other types of poop may you come across? Here in Yosemite, you may stumble upon coyote, raccoon, mountain lion, or bobcat poop, all of which can be confused with bear poop. Coyote poop is also tubular and may contain the same foods, but it usually looks like a pile of twisted rope. Raccoons go to the bathroom in the same spot over and over, so their poops will be found in large piles called latrines. Bobcats and mountain lions both have segmented poops, a characteristic common to felines. Their poop is dense and won’t flatten if you step on it. All of the poop piles mentioned above are smaller than a bear’s.
Scat (Photo: NPS)
Well, now that you’ve got the data on the scat-a, go out and find some bear poop!
Yosemite National Park Designates Wildlife Protection Zones Throughout the Park
This image shows one of Yosemite National Park’s newly designated Wildlife Protection Zones and the associated sign that motorists will see along roadways while driving through Wildlife Protection Zones in Yosemite National Park. NPS Photo.
Speed Enforcement in Effect to Help Protect Bears and Other Wildlife
In preparation for a busy Labor Day Weekend, Yosemite National Park has designated several new Wildlife Protection Zones located on stretches of roadway throughout the Park where bears and other animals have been hit by vehicles. Visitors driving in the park this weekend will see new signs advising motorists that you are in a “Wildlife Protection Zone” and that speed limits will be strictly enforced. Multiple zones have been designated in Yosemite Valley and along sections of Big Oak Flat Road, El Portal Road, Wawona Road and Tioga Road. These zones will remain in effect until further notice.
As of August 28, 2019, 11 bears have been hit by vehicles during the 2019 calendar year. More than 400 bears have been hit by vehicles in Yosemite National Park since 1995. It’s not just bears that face the danger of being hit by a vehicle on roads within Yosemite National Park. Owls, Pacific fishers, butterflies, rare amphibians like red-legged frogs and salamanders; and mammals like deer, foxes, and mountain lions are also often hit and killed on Yosemite’s roads.
“One of the best ways to help protect wildlife in Yosemite National Park is to slow down and follow the posted speed limits within the park,” stated Yosemite National Park Superintendent Michael Reynolds. “These new Wildlife Protection Zones have been designated to help reduce the number of animals injured or killed in the park by automobiles. We thank park visitors for helping us protect Yosemite’s bears and other wildlife.”
How can park visitors help protect wildlife while driving in and around Yosemite National Park? Please stay alert, especially while driving during dawn and dusk, when animals are more active. Scan roadsides for wildlife in front of your car and obey posted speed limit signs including areas with reduced speeds. These small actions can help make a big difference and help prevent wildlife-automobile collisions.
-NPS-
Editor’s Note: The attached photo is an NPS Photo and may be published in print and electronic media. Please list the photo credit as “NPS Photo.”
Media Contacts:
Scott Gediman 209-372-0248
Jamie Richards 209-372-0529