Bear Incidents Up 125% in Six Years at Sequoia and Kings Canyon: Park Posts Food-Storage Guidance
Records from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks show a sharp rise in bear-related incidents over six years: 158 incidents were recorded in all of 2020, compared with 356 through the end of September 2026, an increase of about 125 percent. The figures were reported on October 19.
Property damage has climbed alongside the incident count: bear-related damage in 2026 has reached $17,358 so far, versus $898 in all of 2020. Park records show 61 of this year's incidents involved unsecured trash cans, and 19 involved bears taking food from campsites, picnic areas or vehicles. Since 2020, 18 bears in the parks have been struck by vehicles and four have died.
Hotspots include Giant Forest, Halstead Meadow and Cedar Grove. The two parks, in California's Sierra Nevada, cover 1,353 square miles, draw more than 1.5 million visitors a year and are home to several hundred black bears. Bears are now in their pre-hibernation feeding phase, eating heavily to build fat reserves before denning between October and December.
Under the food-storage guidance posted by the park at nps.gov/seki, campers should store food in the metal bear boxes provided at campgrounds, backpackers must use portable bear canisters, and any bear that obtains human food should be reported to park staff.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：红杉国家公园 Wolverton 一带的黑熊（资料图）。美国国家公园管理局 NPS 发布，公共领域。Photo: A black bear near Wolverton in Sequoia National Park (file photo). U.S. National Park Service, public domain.
