A black bear attacked a couple along the Blue Ridge Parkway./Sam Hobbs via NPS
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information from park staff. You can find the update here.
A black bear, possible aggravated by a barking dog that was off leash, inflicted minor injuries on a couple that was enjoying a picnic near the Folk Art Center along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Parkway officials, who instituted several closures along the ridgeline park in a bid to prevent additional attacks, were trying to track the black bear. If caught, it would be euthanized, a park release said.
The attack happened Wednesday evening. According to the release, the unidentified couple was alerted to the bear's presence by their dog, which ran towards the animal while barking.
"Likely aggravated by the dog, the bear acted defensively toward the dog and the couple," the release said. "Over the next several minutes, there were repeated attacks by the bear while the couple retreated with their dog to the safety of their vehicle.
The couple, whose injuries were not detailed, then drove to an area hospital where they were treated and released.
Area closures that were instituted following the incident included:
- The Mountains to the Sea Trail from the intersection with the parkway visitor center Loop Trail near milepost 384 to Riceville Road Bridge at milepost 382.
- The Folk Art Center Nature Loop Trail and all trails accessed off of Bull Mountain Road.
- Picnicking was also prohibited between the Asheville Visitor Center and adjacent parking areas near parkway milepost 384 to the Haw Creek Overlook near milepost 380.
Park staff was working with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission staff to capture the bear, and was conducting foot patrols in the immediate area of the attack.
"If the offending bear is captured and positively identified, officials will humanly euthanize the animal per park and NCWRC protocol," the release said.
Park staff reminds visitors that fall on the Blue Ridge Parkway is a key feeding period for bears, as they try to add calories before winter hibernation. Visitors need to practice proper food storage, keeping pets leashed, and viewing wildlife from a distance, the park release said.
Comments
That couple did not have their dog on the leash, not fair to put the bear down . People need to respect the outdoors and the rules that are in place for a reason. Especially for the people that love the outdoors. People that don't respect the rules can ruin it for everyone .
I am going to assume that any rational park ranger doing their job would only move the bear. It would be a ridiculous and pompous use of power to do otherwise. As a dog owner I am always concerned about losing the right to travel with him. We need to follow the rules to keep this privilege open. That being said, let's move on and use this as an educational reminder.
This Bear should not be put down, the people should be fined. Just relocate the bear to inhibited area.
The bear came into the parking lot of an art center to attack them. He's done if they find him. It would be nice to see an overhead view of the park and art center to understand just what happened here
One rule the NPS has about bears in many areas is that one should never allow a bear to actually score food, because then it just reinforces that approaching humans to find food is acceptable. It's not always the rule, but it's one that I've had drilled into me several times.
I have never heard anything about never having a picnic where there are bears. I did hear to never leave food unattended (preferably keep all food within an arm's length) and properly store food. I mean - I've eaten outdoors at Yosemite, Tahoe, SEKI, Crater Lake, Mt Rainier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, etc. and have never heard anyone tell me that I shouldn't picnic. I mean - all these places have picnic areas. Here's a Google Street View image of the parking lot, and there's a picnic table.
https://goo.gl/maps/FphXmvLCazXRSbeG6
It's not the call of the National Park Service, and even then NPS would probably consider putting it down if it kept on coming after people who retreated into a car. I've said it before, but this happened in a populated area near a couple of large apartment complexes, a nursing home, the VA hospital, and numerous retail businesses like a McDonald's. The bear is not going to respect lines on a map and stay within NPS jurisdiction. It's obviously going to go into Asheville and the surrounding suburbs.
Google Street View is very limited, but I saw the parking lot was somewhat flat and in fact had a picnic table, although the image said it was from 2017, so things could have changed. I'd think this wouldn't be the most ideal place for a bear to seek food. This should provide a decent overview of what's in the surrounding area. This is a suburb that just happens to have the Blue Ridge Parkway running through it. I know there have been a bunch of comments that these were visitors "in the bear's home" but a few hundred feet away the bear would be in a human being's home. Or the church less than a mile away. Or the elementary school. Or the nursing home next door. Would anyone really be OK if this bear attacked a resident of the nursing home?
https://goo.gl/maps/85RCRRGd5X2Dhe4a8
I agree with you a hundred fold. stay the hell out of they're home/ habitat ! They have very little as it is now thanks to humans.
100% agree. Why shouLtd the bear be killed because the offending couple was irresponsible.
The couple should be educated on their responsibilities when co-habiting with nature and pay a fine.