Yosemite Bear Facts — July 21, 2024
2024 Total Bear Incidents: 19
2024 Total Property Damage: $760
Bear Incident Comparisons (year to date—previous years compared to 2024):
Last year (2023) - up by 27%
Most Incidents (1998) - down by 95%
Fewest Incidents (2019) - up by 58%
July 23, 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:
Call the Save-A-Bear Hotline at 209-372-0322 or e-mail yose_bear_mgmt@nps.gov.
For more information about Yosemite’s bears, please visit: www.KeepBearsWild.org
Wildlife rangers maintaining a dual-sided 'Speeding kills bears' sign. These are placed in locations where vehicles have hit wildlife. Credit: NPS
Source: NPS/C.R Lee-Roney
