Cheshire Cat Photo Blog(...said the Cat: 'we're all mad here....')

I have written about Yosemite bears before: “In Yosemite? Bear in mind….,” “Yosemite bears prefer minivans! .” Well, it looks as though Yosemite visitors have finally “caught on!”

SFGate.com has THIS to say:

Park officials on Thursday reported their lowest number of bear problems since 1975 — just 76 accounts of aggressive or destructive behavior this year, compared to some 1,600 bear-human incidents recorded in the peak year of 1998.

For the fourth straight season, none of this year’s incidents involved injuries, just the more typical break-ins to cars or campgrounds, mostly as bears searched for food.

In addition, park officials have spent more time and money on the problem!

Since the 1990s, when as many as 10 to 15 cars were broken into nightly by black bears, the park service has sought to decrease the availability of human food for wildlife by investing in storage lockers at campgrounds, parking lots and trailheads and by educating visitors about the importance of keeping food from animals.

An annual appropriation of $500,000 from the federal government helps sustain the effort.

The non-profit Yosemite Conservancy has also helped with funds to place GPS collars on “problem bears” to track their locations!

“We would like to thank park visitors for their help in making this campaign an overwhelming success,” said Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher. “There is no more of a rewarding experience than seeing a bear foraging naturally.”

-Bill at