Current:Home > MyA section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed after visitors allegedly try to hold a young bear -PrimeFinance
A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed after visitors allegedly try to hold a young bear
View
Date:2025-04-16 21:38:56
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A section of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina has been closed temporarily after the National Park Service said it received multiple reports of visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear.
The 8-mile (12.9-kilometer) closure just northeast of Asheville stretches from milepost 367.6 near the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road. National Park Service officials blocked off the road on Monday and say it will remain closed until further notice.
The recent bear interactions allegedly took place at the Lane Pinnacle Overlook, a popular high-elevation viewpoint, at the height of leaf-peeping season, officials said.
The temporary closure is necessary to protect bears and park visitors alike, said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout.
“When people intentionally attract bears with trash and food it can lead to very dangerous situations,” Swartout said in a written statement. “In this instance we want to give the bear a chance to lose interest in the area before the situation escalates and visitors or the bear are harmed.”
The fall months are an essential time for bears to forage for food and gain weight before their winter hibernation. But park officials warn that bears may also seek out foods that humans eat.
No one has been fined for feeding or approaching the bear, spokesperson Leesa Brandon told The Associated Press. Although videos posted online show visitors standing within a few feet (meters) of a small black bear, officials do not have any physical evidence of people feeding or holding it, she said.
Federal law prohibits people from intentionally getting within 50 yards (45.7 meters) of a bear.
Officials have not yet indicated when the section will reopen. Visitors can still access most of the 469-mile (755-kilometer) parkway, which was the most visited of any National Park Service site last year, logging about 15.7 million visits.
“We are still monitoring, and I think it’ll take us a day or two to make sure we are confident that the bear is not going to frequent that spot as much as it has been,” Brandon said.
veryGood! (181)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- SVB, now First Republic: How it all started
- Hailey Bieber Responds to Criticism She's Not Enough of a Nepo Baby
- Environmentalists in Chile Are Hoping to Replace the Country’s Pinochet-Era Legal Framework With an ‘Ecological Constitution’
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Biden wants airlines to pay passengers whose flights are hit by preventable delays
- Contact is lost with a Japanese spacecraft attempting to land on the moon
- Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky Break Up After 27 Years of Marriage
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Eastwind Books, an anchor for the SF Bay Area's Asian community, shuts its doors
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian Is Officially Hitting the Road as a Barker
- The weight bias against women in the workforce is real — and it's only getting worse
- A group of state AGs calls for a national recall of high-theft Hyundai, Kia vehicles
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Homeware giant Bed Bath & Beyond has filed for bankruptcy
- Bed Bath & the great Beyond: How the home goods giant went bankrupt
- Hard times are here for news sites and social media. Is this the end of Web 2.0?
Recommendation
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Brittany goes to 'Couples Therapy;' Plus, why Hollywood might strike
Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $400 Satchel Bag for Just $89
Analysis: Fashion Industry Efforts to Verify Sustainability Make ‘Greenwashing’ Easier
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
It's an Even Bigger Day When These Celebrity Bridesmaids Are Walking Down the Aisle
Khloe Kardashian Says She Hates Being in Her 30s After Celebrating 39th Birthday
Dealers still sell Hyundais and Kias vulnerable to theft, but insurance is hard to get