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Do you need bear spray in Yosemite?

Make sure you know before you go. In national parks where grizzlies live, such as Glacier or Grand Teton, rangers encourage you to carry bear spray. In others, such as Yosemite, where only black bears live, bear spray is not even permitted.



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In fact, it's considered a weapon, so bring all the Bug Off you want, but leave the bear spray at home. Bear bells should also be left at home. Bells are for grizzly bears, which don't live in Yosemite.

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Attacks are rare—nobody has been killed or seriously injured by a bear in Yosemite. If a black bear approaches, always follow the above guidelines. If a black bear attacks while you're in Yosemite, fight back.

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Food storage canisters are required in parts of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Inyo, Sierra and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forests, and in all of Yosemite, Desolation Wilderness, Lassen Volcanic National Parks and are necessary in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

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Mountain lions—also called cougars, pumas or panthers—roam Yosemite's mountains and valleys. These important predators, native to the Americas, are a natural part of the Yosemite landscape.

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Once in hibernation, bears in Yosemite typically don't become active again until late March or April.

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These large individuals of the Mountain Coyote are the present day wolves of the Yosemite region. No true wolf is known to have occurred anywhere in middle California since about 1870.

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The lab results for 2019 revealed that 35 individual mountain lions were detected in Yosemite: 14 females, 10 males, and 11 cougar samples without individual or sex identified. As a national park with extensive wilderness, Yosemite enjoys the highest protection possible under federal law.

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