Yosemite National Park Closed Due to Coronavirus
California’s most popular national park may be devoid of tourists due to the coronavirus lockdown. But the wildlife of Yosemite National park is taking advantage of the lack of human visitors. Park rangers report that animals are venturing to places they usually don’t go. And the bears, in particular, are having a great time. (1)
In April 2019, 308,000 people visited Yosemite National Park. But the park closed on March 20, 2020, as part of the efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus. Just 100 to 200 park service employees, as well as an unknown number of other workers, remain to care for the 7.5-mile-long valley. (1)
Wildlife More Active in Yosemite
The park’s animals are taking advantage of having fewer humans around. Park employees have spotted coyotes, bobcats, and bears in areas that are usually filled with tourists, like Yosemite Village and Camp Curry. Animals that have learned to avoid areas normally bursting with people can now expand where they roam and look for food. (1)
Park staff say that the black bears especially have been coming out in droves. The park posted a video of a bear climbing a tree on its Instagram account and wrote, “Yosemite National Park is home to about 300-500 black bears. Though there hasn’t been an increase in their population since the park closure, bears have been seen more frequently than usual, likely due to the absence of visitors in Yosemite Valley.” (2)
Another Instagram post showed a video of a bear ambling through a meadow across from Yosemite Village. The park wrote, “It could be said that spring, summer, and fall are just one big meal to a black bear. If that’s the case, then grass is a bear’s favorite springtime appetizer!” They continued, “Bears have been active in Yosemite Valley lately, and they’ve all been busy grazing on fresh spring grass.” (3)
“The bear population has quadrupled,” Dane Peterson, who works for the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, told the LA Times. Peterson is sheltering in place at the park with some of his coworkers. “It’s not like they aren’t usually here. “It’s that they usually hang back at the edges, or move in the shadows.” (1)
Bears Having a Party at Yosemite National Park
In a live stream on the park’s Facebook page, Ranger Katie provided some insight into the black bears’ behavior. Katie is a wildlife biologist who works for Yosemite’s bear management program. (4)
“For the most part, I think [the bears] are having a party,” said Ranger Katie. “This time of year is difficult for the animals here. There can be literally walls of cars, stop-and-go traffic, or people in the park.” (4)
The biologist discussed the challenges for bears that come from living in a national park that millions of people visit each year. One is that the areas where tourists tend to gather to see the best views also happen to be the areas with the best food sources for bears. (4)
“Bears are these amazingly powerful and intelligent animals that we make our homes alongside. Because they have those characteristics and they’re very food-motivated, bears can wrack up a huge amount of property damage or even injure somebody in their pursuit of food,” Ranger Katie said. Yosemite’s bear management team tags and observes bears that become accustomed to human food. (4)
While the bears are currently benefiting from fewer park visitors, this could be an issue when people eventually return. Yosemite’s bears learn to avoid places where there are usually a lot of people. Katie said that there will be a “little bit of a learning curve” for the bears to become accustomed to having people in the park again. (4)
