ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — After continued reports of people feeding and encountering black bears in the area, North Carlina wildlife officials are holding a public hearing next week on a proposed rule prohibiting people from feeding bears in Buncombe County.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission announced in an Oct. 16 news release that the hearing is set for 6 p.m. Oct. 21 at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s Ferguson Auditorium. The NCWRC is accepting questions on its website in advance, and those questions will be addressed at the start of the meeting.

EMERGENCY RULE TARGETS BEAR FEEDING IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY

A public comment period is open through Nov. 6. Comments may be submitted online, via email (include name, county, and state of residence), or they can be mailed to: Rulemaking Coordinator, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1701.

An emergency rule with the identical language as the temporary rule will go into effect for Buncombe County on Monday, Oct. 19, the NCWRC said in the release. Wildlife officials may adopt an emergency rule without prior notice or public hearing when immediate adoption is required by a serious and unforeseen threat to public health or safety, the release said.

State Wildlife Commissioners adopted the emergency rule prohibiting bear feeding in Buncombe County during its Oct. 1 commission meeting and voted to begin the process of enacting an identical temporary rule.

“Wildlife law enforcement officers do not have jurisdiction to enforce Asheville, Black Mountain or Buncombe County ordinances related to feeding wildlife,” said Lt. Anna Barbosa, public information officer for the Law Enforcement Division, in the release. “This rule standardizes enforcement of bear feeding prohibitions across jurisdictions, enabling wildlife officers to use similar provisions as our partner agencies when responding to calls.”

2 BEAR CUBS RELOCATED AS NC WILDLIFE OFFICIALS TRY TO CAPTURE MOTHER BEHIND HOME BREAK-INS

NCWRC said it was proposing the new rule due to a significant increase in bears entering dwellings, especially occupied dwellings. According to the release, 64% of all forced entries since 2023 have occurred in the last five months. In August, a bear entered an occupied home in North Asheville, injuring a person inside.

The agency said it has received 836 black bear interaction reports in Buncombe County from May 1-Sept. 30. Buncombe County comprises 43% of all bear reports the agency has received statewide during this time frame. These include the following:

271 reports of people feeling threatened by bears30 reports of a bear posing a real threat to people71 reports of bears entering homes31 reports of humans feeding bears14 reports of bears consuming pet food5 pets killed by bears2 injured pets2 reports of residents injured – one injury resulted in the resident receiving medical attention at the hospital after a bear entered their home

NCWRC Board of Commissioners will review public comments and consider adoption of the temporary rule at its December commission meeting.