Carolina Beach is use to having tourists but the last few days they have an usual one …a black bear. While black bears on the mainland may be a bit more common it is highly unusual to have one out on the island.
a bear recently visited the island and was spotted in a neighborhood one block off Dow Road.
Town Clerk Lynn Prusa lives near South Eighth Street and Atlanta Avenue and spoke with a neighbor last weekend who saw the bear.
The lifelong Carolina Beach resident was surprised, to say the least.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a bear on the island,” Prusa said.
Hundreds of years ago, bears probably freely ranged over the areas that are now Carolina Beach and Kure Beach, said David Webster, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Webster, who is also an endangered species biologist who works with sea turtles and mammals, said he isn’t aware of other black bear sightings on the island.
While many people may not realize it but Coastal North Carolina has an abundant bear population but they are more concentrated in the counties north of New Hanover beginning around Jones and going north. Black bears continue to expand across the state and there is no reason to believe many areas that have not been traditional bear habitat may not see bears moving in.
NCWRC Bear Distribution Map
NCWRC Bear Page
NC Wildlife will not move bears so people need to adjust their habits so as not to encourage bear human interactions. There is a saying “ A fed bear is a dead bear” and that is really the only option there is when a bear learns to associate humans with food.
While there maybe some small pockets of suitable habitat for a black bear on the island I suspect it will either move on or it will begin having interactions with humans that will lead to its demise. Lets hope it swims back to the mainland and finds a nice swamp to hang out in.
In 2008 NCWRC estimated the statewide bear population was around 11,000
