I got these two notices today:
Dear community members,
As you may have heard, an adult bear has been seen wandering the
neighborhood over the past several days. He has attempted to enter several
homes and did successfully enter two houses on July 9th. No one has been
injured. On the morning of the 10th, the Park's wildlife team was
notified. They brought a trap to Wawona and set it that evening. The bear
was captured later that night and was then tagged and collared on July 11.
He now has a yellow tag in his right ear with the number "86" on it and is
wearing a white collar. He has a blond body with darker brown legs, is
approximately six years old, and weighs 220 lbs.
On the afternoon of July 11, the bear was released inside the park,
southwest of Wawona (Long distance relocation is rarely successful). We
were hopeful that he would have been traumatized enough by his capture to
not want to return. Unfortunately, he was not. In the past several days,
he has broken into several houses and obtained significant amounts of food.
We are making every possible effort to attempt adverse conditioning
techniques (hazing) to get him to leave the neighborhood and spare his
life.
If you see this, or any other bear, in the developed areas of Wawona,
please call Park Dispatch (9-1-1) to report it. Our staff will respond and
attempt to haze the bear.
The wildlife team suspects that what attracted this bear to the
neighborhood were bird feeders, as he had a significant amount of bird seed
in his droppings. Please make sure that any bird feeders you have out are
taken down and stored away. Additionally, this is a good reminder to
always keep your vehicles clean of food and scented items, and to keep your
pet's food stored indoors.
Please make sure that when you go to bed, your doors and windows are
secure. The less food he obtains, the less likely he is to keep trying to
get it.
(See attached file: DSC02302.jpg)
Thank you for your cooperation,
Chad Andrews
Wawona Subdistrict Ranger
Yosemite National Park
W (209) 375-9520 x228
C (209) 742-8269
F (209) 375-9534
There have been eight incidents this week where bears have entered occupied
homes in Wawona. In almost all of these incidents, windows were left open,
or doors were not properly latched while the occupants were asleep in
another room. Additionally, when the bear was captured, its scat was full
of bird seed indicating that bird feeders had likely been attracting it to
homes. The Wildlife Management Staff will be closely monitoring bears in
the residential areas; however, it is the responsibility of park residents
to keep homes bear-proof!
Bears entering homes through open windows or doors is a yearly problem in
housing areas park-wide. This is a good time to remember if you are living
anywhere in Yosemite, you are living in bear habitat.
Please help keep bears safe and out of your house, by following these
suggestions:
ü Close and latch all windows and doors if you are not home.
ü Close and latch all windows and doors in unoccupied rooms when you
are home, especially windows and doors near the kitchen.
ü Remove attractants such as bird feeders, coolers, and recycling from
outside your home.
Remember to report bear sightings and incidents by leaving a message on the
Save-A-Bear Hotline (209) 372-0322.
Caitlin Lee-Roney
Wildlife Technician
Resources Management and Science Division
Yosemite National Park
9039 Village Drive, P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389
209.372.0476
209.372.0497 fax
caitlin_lee-roney@nps.gov