Yosemite Bear Is Euthanized

Animal reportedly approached people for food, injured young hiker.

by Mark Grossi
Fresno Bee - July 17, 2004

Yosemite National Park authorities this week killed a bold yearling black that was blamed for injuring a young hiker and regularly approaching people in search of food.

The killing comes during a summer when bear incidents have increased 150% compared to the past year, spokeswoman Deb Schweizer said Friday. There have been 214 incidents compared with 86 at this point last summer.

“It’s a tragedy to euthanize a bear,” Schweizer said. “The message hereis that people need to properly store their food. They need to get it out of their cars. They need to be aware.”

Park officials believe the bear swiped the 11-year-old hiker’s arm when going after the child’s backpack, which contained food. The child’s injury was minor, Schweizer said.

Visitors also reported that the bear gently nuzzled one person’s leg, and sniffed another person’s face in the past several weeks, in addition to approaching numerous other people in Little Yosemite Valley.

Little Yosemite Valley is along the heavily traveled trail to Half Dome.

Officials said it is not natural for a bear to approach people or to swipe at them for food. They said the bear’s behavior forced them Monday to kill it.

Yosemite and other parks ar forced to kill bears almost every year, but such problems have decreased in Yosemite compared with the late 1990s.

Officials believe this year’s increase in bear incidents – bluff charges, car break-ins and others – may be connected to the early spring because some of their natural food might not have been as available.

“We’re not sure, but it’s not just a Yosemite problem,” Schweizer said.

“We’ve heard reports of problems in Sequoia-Kings Canyon and Tahoe, too. This looks like a problem throughout the Sierra and maybe the state,”

Six years ago, Yosemite officials reported that 1,584 bear incidents caused $650,000 in damage. About 1,300 cars were damaged this year.

Park officials worked on an intense education campaign, urging visitors to store food in bear-proof lockers or canisters.

Bears have a keen sense of smell and have no problem learning how to smash into a car for something as small as a candy bar.

This year, property damage is about $3,400, but Schweizer said the season is still young.

Bear incidents are occurring everywhere in the park, especially in campgrounds, parking lots and the back country.

“This is when we see our bear activity,” she said. “It happens through July, August, September and October, depending on the weather.”

Aside from proper storage, officials advise visitors to keep food within arm’s reach. If a bear approaches, yell to scare it away, they said.