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Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the US has closed some roads in the park due to bear feeding season.
The National Park Service (NPS) announced the closure of Rich Mountain Road in the Cades Cove area over the weekend, noting that some of the park's bears had "become habituated to people and vehicles."
The closure comes at a “critical feeding time of year” for bears as key food sources such as berries and acorns are out of season.
The closure comes at a “critical feeding time of year” for bears as key food sources such as berries and acorns are out of season.
The decision to close came after a visitor suffered minor injuries in a collision with a bear in the area.
“The closure of Rich Mountain Road is an effort to protect both people and bears. When people intentionally attract bears with human or pet food, it can lead to dangerous situations for visitors, local communities and bears,” Cassius Cash, park superintendent, said in a statement.
Over time, bears can become habituated to food when parkgoers throw food out of their cars or leave food on the ground, the NPS says. These bears can then become aggressive and approach vehicles and people in search of food.
Seeing animals up close is one of the highlights of visiting many of America's national parks. But the NPS reminds visitors to try to keep their distance. Park visitors should always stay at least 150 feet away from bears and "never intentionally approach, feed, or leave food for them."
This isn’t the first time the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been closed due to bear activity. Last year, the park closed some trails in the fall so black bears could feed in the area in preparation for hibernation.
This is also not the first time the NPS has warned park visitors to stay away from wildlife. Last month, the agency also advised visitors to exercise extra caution after two people were injured in collisions with wild bison at Yellowstone and Theodore Roosevelt national parks.
According to Vietnamnet
