Watch: Black Bear Family Has a Night on the Town in Downtown Asheville
There's a chill on the breeze and orange in the trees... it may be fall for now, but winter is looming over the horizon, and for bears, that means it's "go time." Across the nation (really, across the Northern Hemisphere), bears are hard at work filling up on the essential calories they need to fuel them through their winter of hibernation- and that can lead to some uncomfortably up-close encounters with humans.
For a family of black bears in the Western mountains of North Carolina, their hunt for food led them a little closer to humanity than they probably would have liked. On the evening of October 18, the bears took a surprise excursion into downtown Asheville for an unexpected night on the town!
The gang's all here! As captured in an eyewitness video shared by Asheville ABC affiliate WLOS 13, the crew consisting of a mama bear and her four cubs were spotted strolling past shop windows in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. The bear cubs in particular seemed enthralled by their trip in town, appearing to "window shop" as they adorably peered into the storefronts they passed!
While eyewitnesses can be heard commenting on the bears, warning other pedestrians, and yelling to scare them off, it looked like the locals were wisely giving the bears a wide berth. Despite the relative danger, nobody wanted the bears to come to any harm.
"I just don't want them to get hit," a concerned woman can be heard commenting on video, watching as the black bear family made their way across the street.
Eventually police were called to reign in the bears' night out on the town, which had ended with one of the cubs climbing up into a tree! Thankfully, neither bears nor humans were ultimately harmed during the wildlife's wild night out.
In mountain communities such as Asheville, NC or Gatlinburg, TN, visits from local black bears aren't too uncommon, especially during active times of year such as early fall. Wildlife experts recommend that if you ever do encounter a bear, give it a wide berth and move out of the area slowly- never run, as this could trigger a chase response.
Not all bear sightings warrant a call to the authorities, even in urban areas. However, the Asheville Times advises people to call authorities or the local wildlife helpline if the situation becomes urgent, such as a bear attempting to enter your home or raid your trash. In North Carolina, the NC Wildlife Commission helpline can be reached at 866-318-2401.
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