Black Bears Story Map

Who really are the threats us or the bears?

District 9, known as Western Carolina is where we find most of our black bear encounters.

Black Bears would rather not be in our developed areas

Bears prefer large expanses of uninhabited woodland or swampland with dense cover. In the east, lowland hardwoods, swamps and pocosins, provide good bear habitats.

With growing human populations the bear populations steadily rise as well.

Recent Construction and Deforestation..

take their homes.

"As residential development spills into forested areas around Asheville and throughout Western North Carolina, citizens’ encounters with wildlife have become increasingly routine. For the black bear — the region’s largest wild animal — human residences offer an enticing smorgasbord of trash, birdseed and other alternatives to their natural diets." - Max Hunt, Mountain Xpress

Scavenging..

They are just like us in need of basic necessities of food and shelter.

How can we help our neighbors - If these bears can adapt to us, can we adapt to them?