Current:Home > Contact-usA section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed after visitors allegedly try to hold a young bear-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed after visitors allegedly try to hold a young bear
View Date:2024-12-23 21:16:34
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! (348)
Related
- Video ‘bares’ all: Insurers say bear that damaged luxury cars was actually a person in a costume
- Caroline Marks wins gold for US in surfing final nail-biter
- 'Could've been an email': House of the Dragon finale leaves fans wanting more
- Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in Talks to Star in New Romance Movie
- Nicole Kidman Reveals the Surprising Reason for Starring in NSFW Movie Babygirl
- Ferguson thrust them into activism. Now, Cori Bush and Wesley Bell battle for a congressional seat
- Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in Talks to Star in New Romance Movie
- Travis Kelce Credits Taylor Swift Effect for Sweet Moment With Fan
- One person is dead after a shooting at Tuskegee University
- Giannis Antetokounmpo's first Olympics ends with Greece's quarterfinal defeat in Paris
Ranking
- John Krasinski Reveals Wife Emily Blunt's Hilarious Response to His Sexiest Man Alive Title
- Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley Shares She's Been Diagnosed With Graves’ Disease
- Pitbull Stadium is the new home of FIU football. The artist has bought the naming rights
- Gabby Thomas leads trio of Americans advancing to 200 track final at Paris Olympics
- Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
- What is a carry trade, and how did a small rate hike in Japan trigger a global sell-off?
- Woman killed in deadly stabbing inside California Walmart
- Haunting Secrets About The Sixth Sense You Won't Be Able to Unsee
Recommendation
-
Wendi McLendon-Covey talks NBC sitcom 'St. Denis Medical' and hospital humor
-
Northrop Grumman spacecraft hitches ride on SpaceX rocket for NASA resupply mission
-
The Small Business Administration expands clean energy loan program
-
Video shows plane crash on busy California golf course, slide across green into pro shop
-
FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
-
Bloomberg gives $600 million to four Black medical schools’ endowments
-
David Lynch reveals he can't direct in person due to emphysema, vows to 'never retire'
-
Gunmen kill New Zealand helicopter pilot in another attack in Indonesia’s restive Papua region