Evidence of black bear at popular summit prompts officials warning to hikers

18 August 2023 , 18:18

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The Facebook post reported that rangers had discovered evidence of a black bear at the summit of the Half Dome (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Officials of a national park in California were shocked to learn that evidence of a black bear was found atop a popular hiking destination, according to a social media post.

Yosemite National Park made a Facebook post this week, including a picture of the Half Dome Rock in California—a famous rock in Yosemite Valley of Yosemite National Park. The rock is known for its formation as one side is a straight face and the other three are round, which resembles half of a dome.

The post had a brown silhouette of a bear at the top of the rock. At a quick glance, the digitally-made bear can look real but officials wrote a disclaimer at the bottom reading: "This bear is of the digital variety and has been edited onto Half Dome. Caught your attention though, didn't it?"

The rock is known for its formation as one side is a straight face and the other three are round, which resembles half of a dome (Getty Images)

The post reported that rangers had discovered evidence of a black bear at the summit of the Half Dome. Yosemite officials said bears are excellent climbers and can handle a steep 44-degree angle with ease, even without the cables hikers use.

The release gave followers a rundown on proper bear-safety protocols for future hikers. They were warned not to bring items with strong aromas with them on the hike. "Smelly objects," from food to sunscreen, the Facebook post states, should be put in a canister or bear locker. Food items should be stashed in a car, out of sight with the windows rolled up. Bears are good at opening car doors and will do so for a tasty treat.

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Any food or scented items should be kept at an arms length because bears, and even smaller ground squirrels, will approach unattended bags and rip through them (Getty Images)

Any food or scented items should be kept at an arm's length because bears, and even smaller ground squirrels, will approach unattended bags and rip through them. "For the safety of people and animals alike, keep your friends close and your food closer," officials wrote.

Black bears have long been an interest of hikers in Yosemite National Park as the area is home to about 300 to 500 black bears, according to National Park Service (NPS), which works to preserve historical parks and landmarks. Wildlife lovers are particularly enthralled with the black bear's unique biology.

Black bears have long been an interest of hikers in Yosemite National Park as the area is home to about 300 to 500 black bears (Getty Images)

Black bears in Yosemite, despite the name, are truly brown. NPS says truly-black coloured black bears are very rare in the West. Black bears can come in a plethora of shapes and sizes. While the typical Yosemite black bear weighs about 250 pounds, the largest caught in the park was 690 pounds.

"Bears weigh the most in fall when gorging on acorns and other seasonal foods. This enables them to gain fat and survive winter—consuming up to 20,000 calories a day, equal to a human eating 40 Big Mac sandwiches in a day."

Mataeo Smith