Bears are taking over one tiny California town
In the small town of Three Rivers, California, it used to be rare to spot a bear. Now, they amble down from the foothills daily, making their way into Three Rivers to snack on acorns and annoy locals.
"They climb the oak trees," resident Karen Perl told the Los Angeles Times. "They sleep in the oak trees. They poop from the oak trees." Since the spring, about 40 bears have been captured, and Perl said at any given time, six to 10 black bears can be seen roaming through downtown or sitting outside of stores, ignoring people and just focusing on finding or eating food. "Most of the bears are being seen during the day, which is unusual," says Daniel Gammons, a wildlife biologist for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. "They tend to be relatively secret and shy. We had a very unusual year in the park."
There are a few theories as to why there are so many bears — some believe that the drought is drying up their food supply, forcing them to forage closer to humans, but Gammons thinks it's due to a bear baby boom that started in 2014. Last spring, he said, there was a surge in births, and now those cubs are big enough to go looking for food on their own. This is actually worrisome, he added, as "any time there's bears and humans in the same place, you'll likely get some kind of conflict." One person who isn't concerned is Perl. "I used to be terrified," she told the Times. "Now it's like no big deal."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published