Natural History Wanderings

SF Gate reported

If you visited Yosemite National Park this month, and stayed for at least three days, it is likely that a bear got hit by a motorist during your visit. Since Oct. 1, seven black bears have been struck by vehicles in the park, and four of those collisions were fatal for the animals, National Park Service spokesperson Rebecca Roland told SFGATE by email on Thursday.

Those strikes were on top of 26 that took place from January through September. At 33 bear collisions for 2026 so far, Yosemite has reached a 10-year high, according to National Park Service data, with more than two months left in the year. Conservationists say they are troubled, but not shocked, by the uptick.

Read more at Yosemite National Park’s bears are having a terrible year