With no tourists around, animals at Yosemite are 'having a party'

CNN ^ | 4-16-20 | Marnie Hunter

[SJackson]

Being cooped up at home is no fun for humans, but bears are making the most of the extra space at California's shuttered Yosemite National Park.

"The bears are just literally walking down the road to get to where they need to go," Ranger Katie Patrick said during a Facebook Live event on Sunday. She is a wildlife biologist who has worked with black bears in Yosemite since 2007.

"For the most part, I think they're having a party," she said in response to questions about what the animals have been doing since Yosemite closed on March 20.

Normally this time of year is difficult for animals at Yosemite because there can be "literally walls of cars, stop-and-go traffic or people in the park," especially in the sort of "urban" Yosemite Valley area.

Katie Patrick, known as Ranger Katie, works with the Human Bear Management Program, mitigating conflicts that arise when you have humans and bears so close together.

"The goal of my position is to have as wild of bears as possible in this park," she said during her presentation from Cook's Meadow in Yosemite Valley.

[ladyjane]

Yosemite isn’t my favorite park but one time I was there it totally breathtaking. It was in the spring and I was driving down from Lake Tahoe and went in the east entrance over Tioga Pass. The entrance had just opened. I have never seen so many waterfalls in my life, some of them over the road. The snow was melting and rapids and waterfalls were everywhere. Such a beautiful difference from what it is like after a hot summer.

BTW if you ever plan to go in the east entrance, be careful if you are driving an RV. It’s quite a drive on that Tioga Road.

[Tennessee Nana]

If you cant smell it then you might have Wu Hu Flu....

[shanover]

REAL nature is NOT a party and is very real and graphic as it can be majestic and beautiful as well.

[dfwgator]

If you cant smell it then you might have Wu Hu Flu....

That means everything may become a BLUR.

[Truthoverpower]

Yosemite valley is normally a small city of 30-40000 The fun part ALWAYS is. That they CANT close nature!! They can only control Cars 🚗 and car access

[Amberdawn]

ALL animals use human-made roads to travel if they can. It conserves their energy, as opposed to having to detour or step over rocks and other obstacles.

[Bob434]

absolutely- especially in winter when thiose roads are plowed

[Daffynition]

On the edge of our yard...MommaBear is reluctant to come closer to the house [3 barking Labs] w/ her 3 cubbies in tow.

TRIPLETS!!!

[Daffynition]