Watch a Family of Bears Stroll Down a Busy Main Street Like They're Weekend Shopping

There are many animals we might expect to see while shopping downtown. Perhaps a stray cat or dog or maybe even a lizard. However, a massive black mama bear with her cubs trailing her? Probably not so much. Let’s see what happened just a few weeks ago in North Carolina below.

Don’t Miss the Exciting Video Below!

Black Bear Sighting in North Carolina

On Wednesday, October 18, 2023, Asheville resident Michele McCausland was walking around downtown when she saw the sight of a black bear. She immediately started to film. And that’s when we see that it wasn’t just one black bear. But she also brought her four large bear cubs with her! This whole family decided to take a late-night stroll and do some shopping.

Once the family reaches the bottom of the hill downtown, they go to cross the road. The mother steps out to ensure the road is safe, and the cubs follow her every footstep. Once they reached the other side of the road, they determined they didn’t like it. And quite comically, they use the crosswalk to go right back to the other side they were just on.

And then, shockingly, by 1:11, we see that it ends with the bear finding her way up a tree and deciding to camp out. The residents of downtown Asheville were, of course, shocked to see a family of bears that were so close.

But, the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission’s Ashley Hobbs comments, “We have bears that live downtown,” Hobbs said. “We have bears that den up along that stretch of the interstate that goes right through downtown. So, it’s not uncommon to see bears in that area.”

How Many Black Bears Live in North Carolina?

The North American black bear (Ursus americanus) of the genus Ursus resides in the mountain and coastal regions around North Carolina. With a population of over 800,000 black bears in North America, there are estimated to be only 20,000 in the state of North Carolina.

The more the human population in a certain city or even state continues to grow, it is inevitable that wildlife will come into contact with us. The North Carolina Wildlife Federation offers a warning, “While black bears are not inherently dangerous and rarely aggressive toward people, they can inspire fear, anxiety, and even fascination in people who encounter them. “

We just have to remember that they were there first. And when a human population moves in and starts to tear down forests and build cities, the wildlife has nowhere to go. So, yes, you might see them strolling downtown. And in the case that you do, give them their space.