Loyal reader Pamela asks:
Is it just me or do there seem to be more bears in Asheville this year than before?
I was travelling to work this AM, from Swannanoa, coming west on Hwy 70, and at the Parkway entrance a large bear lumbered across Hwy 70 and into the woods. I thought it was a large dog, until I realized it was a bear and almost crashed my car. Anybody got any theories?
Recent headlines would seem to point to an answer – yes. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports:
ASHEVILLE — The killing of a family dog by a bear led a Buncombe County elementary school to close a play area Tuesday and added to a list of rare bear encounters even before summer begins.
So, what’s going on? Any theories?
4 Comments
People keep moving here, building houses deeper and deeper into the mountains and complain about bears.
Bears have always been here. There has been an erroneous idea that Black Bears were "in trouble" in the Southern Appalachians. This is just not true. They are becoming more common, and are getting used to humans, a volatile combination.
I’m thinkin’ there’s a connection between beer, bears, and roller derby.
I need a creative to flesh this out into a story.
That elementary school (where our kids have attended for years) has always had alot of bear sightings. Same goes for our neighborhood near the school. It backs up to the parkway.
It’s been this way for the 10 years we’ve lived in this neighborhood.