{"id":681,"date":"2026-05-21T13:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=681"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:36:16","slug":"6-bears-killed-within-2-weeks-as-home-break-ins-rise-in-one-nc-county-state-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=681","title":{"rendered":"6 bears killed within 2 weeks as home break-ins rise in one NC county, state says"},"content":{"rendered":"

A worsening problem of bears relying on humans for food has resulted in six bears being killed over the past two weeks in Buncombe County, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says.<\/p>\n

Read more Walls that will hold up I-40 through Pigeon River Gorge begin to take shape<\/a><\/p>\n

Among the six was a bear accused of breaking into one home multiple times within days, always while the homeowners were away. It was assisted by a bear that remains at large, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn one instance, they saw a bear leaving their home as they were pulling up the driveway,\u201d according to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Special Projects Biologist Ashley Hobbs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were alerted after the fourth time it broke into the home, and we were setting on-site traps to capture the target bears when one came walking up the driveway and tried to enter my truck and my co-worker\u2019s truck. It then walked right up to us. No fear of humans at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

The adult female was \u201cdispatched\u201d on the spot.<\/p>\n

All six bears roamed the Black Mountain and Haw Creek areas of Buncombe County, which is about a 125-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unusual to have that many bears euthanized in such a short period of time, Hobbs said. However, it\u2019s a clear warning sign that bears have not only come to rely on people for easy meals, but mothers are teaching their cubs that porches, garages and even homes are fair game.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why officers had to euthanize two yearlings along with their mother in Black Mountain. A third yearling escaped, but remains a concern, Hobbs said.<\/p>\n

The killing of yearlings has raised concerns in the community, with some noting humans were to blame.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were one of several people … that experienced a recent break-in or multiple ones to your home and\/or car, as we did, you may be feeling a sense of relief that these bears were dispatched,\u201d one Buncombe County resident<\/a> wrote on Nextdoor.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I also feel very sad that they had to be taken down. … We don\u2019t have to repeat this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bears have been breaking into homes for years in Buncombe County, but it\u2019s happening more often, state officials say.<\/p>\n

Read more NC House votes to override Stein veto on tax break tied to private school tuition<\/a><\/p>\n

The large predators \u2013 the biggest can reach 700 pounds \u2013 are attracted to snacks left in vehicles, bird feeders on porches, pet food left in garages and any food odors wafting from kitchens, experts say.<\/p>\n

All are plentiful in Black Mountain and Haw Creek, and bears are learning how to open doors and crawl through windows to reach the source.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is truly a people problem not a bear problem. Bears\u2019 behavior is a reflection of human behavior. If the community is doing everything right, you won\u2019t get many calls of bears breaking into homes,\u201d Hobbs said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have perfect storm in the Asheville area: the watershed and all river and streams; this dense human population, and the constant building and development in bear habitat. With more \u2018people food\u2019 comes more calories for bears … and the extra human-provided calories are increasing their productivity rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bears in Buncombe County are giving birth at a younger age than their rural counterparts. Their broods are also larger, and their cubs are living longer, researchers say.<\/p>\n

Necropsies performed on the six killed bears revealed five had \u201chuman-related waste\u201d in their stomach, state officials said. In the sixth case, the bear\u2019s stomach was empty.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated North Carolina has more than 20,000 black bears, according to Bear-ology.com.<\/a> They are largely found in the mountains and near the coast, but sightings are increasingly common in the Piedmont, the state says.<\/p>\n

Bear safety<\/a> for North Carolina homeowners begins with avoiding anything that alters the lifestyle of the predators, experts say.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 9:14 AM<\/span> with the headline “6 bears killed within 2 weeks as home break-ins rise in one NC county, state says.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Only one UNC System school is not \u2018financially healthy,\u2019 report says. Here\u2019s why<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing numbers of home break-ins involving bears results in six being killed in Buncombe County, North Carolina, including two yearlings, state says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\n6 bears killed within 2 weeks as home break-ins rise in one NC county, state says - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=681\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 bears killed within 2 weeks as home break-ins rise in one NC county, state says - 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