BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) approved an emergency rule to prevent black bear interactions in Buncombe County at a meeting Thursday, Oct. 1, as the state agency said the county saw more than 800 reports of bear activity in a five-month period alone.
The rule, which was approved in a unanimous vote, prohibits both intentional and passive feeding of black bears in Buncombe County. Passive feeding includes leaving unsecured trash and pet food outside or installing bird feeders in bear-prone areas.
FILE IMAGE – Black bear standing to eat from a bird feeder in Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: NC Wildlife Resource Commission)
Buncombe County and the city of Asheville already have ordinances prohibiting bear feeding that were developed with NCWRC’s support. However, the new emergency rule will carry criminal consequences for violators and, for the first time, allow the state to exercise wildlife enforcement jurisdiction when needed.
“Our priority is helping residents of Buncombe County understand how intentional feeding of black bears can create dangerous situations for both humans and bears,” Major Chad Arnold said in a statement. “When officers detect violations they will take appropriate action, which may include issuing warnings or citations, depending on the circumstances. The goal is not punishment, but prevention: reducing conflict, protecting public safety and ensuring that bears remain wild.”Data
According to NCWRC, between May 1 and Sept. 30, residents and wildlife officials submitted 836 human-wildlife interaction reports involving black bears in Buncombe County alone: an average of 5.5 interactions a day.
2 BEAR CUBS RELOCATED AS NC WILDLIFE OFFICIALS TRY TO CAPTURE MOTHER BEHIND HOME BREAK-INS
NCWRC provided the following breakdown of those reported interactions:
271 reports of people feeling threatened by bears,30 reports of a bear posing a real threat to people,71 reports of bears entering homes,31 reports of humans feeding bears,14 reports of bears consuming pet food,5 pets killed by bears,2 injured pets, and2 reports of residents injured.
VIDEO: BLACK BEAR BREAKS THROUGH GARAGE DOOR WINDOW IN SEARCH OF FOOD
“These incidents are primarily due to people feeding bears or leaving unsecured food attractants, such as outdoor pet food, trash cans and bird feeders, which causes bears to lose their natural fear of humans and associate humans and their property with an easy source of food” NCWRC Black Bear Biologist Jenna Malzahn said in written statement.
NCWRC data indicated close human-bear encounters have ramped up this year. Of the 115 reports of forced entries between 2023 and 2026, 64% have occurred in the last five months.
Sept. 14, 2026 – Still image of cell phone video of a black bear climbing out of a garage door window in Asheville, North Carolina. (Credit: Katie Byron)
NCWRC said Buncombe County accounted for 43% of all bear reports the agency received statewide during this time frame.
After Thursday’s vote, the measure will now move to the Office of Administrative Hearings for final approval.
Food conditioning in bears
NCWRC says when bears feed on unnatural food sources around human homes, like trash, pet food and birdseed, they can lose their fear of humans and become more likely to approach people. This can often lead to dangerous situations for both humans and bears.
LEARN TO BE BEARWISE
Wildlife officials said taking steps to keep bears wild and not accustomed to people as sources of food is key to keeping wildlife and humans safe. This includes never intentionally or unintentionally feeding bears by securing all garbage, removing bird feeders when bears are active and never leaving pet food outside.
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