ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah — The animal kingdom is making a comeback in Zion National Park.
While they’re sleeping now for the winter, there were increased black bear sightings this summer and recently, the first porcupine was sighted in a while after a long absence of an animal once plentiful there. But a biologist at the national park said that’s even more reason to keep things like picnic food away from the animals.
Zion National Park Wildlife Biologist Adam Reimer said there is a fine balance between the native wildlife and the visiting humans.
“The wildlife species that we've had here in the park have lived here long before people have, and we need to have some respect for that.,” he said.
And that respect is something park visitor Liang said he has.
“You don't know what they're going to do,” Liang said. “They could bite you. You don't want to get a disease.
Reimer says it's not disease that’s the biggest risk. It’s the old adage, don’t feed the animals.
The result has been fat rodents.
“We're talking some overweight squirrels that we've seen on some of the trails,” Reimer said.
“I'm not aware of any kind of diseases. I'm sure that's something that could be studied, but yeah, we definitely see some overweight animals, and it's just overall not good for their health.
And the park’s animals are seeing a resurgence, and while there have been increased sightings of black bears this summer, that doesn’t mean there are more bears.
“We did have seven sightings between May and June of this year. That's not necessarily seven bears. It could have been one, maybe two bears,” Reimer said. “These sightings all took place within about a 10 to 12 mile circle, which is easily covered by a bear in a day.”
And unlike Jellystone Park, no swipes of picnic baskets as of yet.
“We haven't had any problems with the Yogi Bears yet. And we kind of want to keep it that way. So we try to encourage safe food storage practices,” Reimer said.
That includes either leaving no food behind or disposing of it in a wildlife-proof storage locker that can be found throughout the park, known as a bear box. If that's not available, Reimer said hanging food away from the campsite is probably the best bet.
There is one animal that has made a return to Zion National Park after a long absence: the porcupine.
“Zion used to be known for its porcupines and they do occasionally make an appearance down here in the canyon, although they are very, very rare. So to see one is quite a special treat,” Reimer added.
“It's a great sign. You know, the habitat has changed so much in Zion Canyon throughout its history and that was one of the contributing factors for our reduction in numbers of porcupines. So yeah, to see them coming back, maybe something's turning positive for them.
Another piece of advice from park rangers: Whether it's Zion National Park or any of the other great parks in Utah, there's a rule of thumb, literally your own thumb. If you can hold out your thumb and you can't cover the animal you're looking at, you're too close.
