ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — A recent viral video showing a black bear wandering near the Canyon Loop Trail in Catalina State Park has prompted park officials to remind the public how to stay safe when encountering wildlife in Southern Arizona.
Although black bear sightings at the park are rare, they do happen.
"Two or three times a year, we get reports of somebody seeing a bear on the Canyon Loop Trail or Alamo Loop," said Steven Haas, park manager at Catalina State Park.
Most bears in the region remain at higher elevations—typically above 5,000 feet—making the appearance of a bear along the lower-elevation Canyon Loop Trail, which sits around 2,800 feet, an unusual but explainable occurrence.
"It could be a young one who is looking for new territory," Haas explained. "Or there’s some type of food source that’s down here that’s not up in the mountains. For example, water."
The bear in the video was reportedly spotted in a ravine, likely searching for water after recent monsoon rains cooled the area and reactivated seasonal streams.
For hikers who may unexpectedly come across a bear or other large wildlife such as mountain lions or coyotes, Haas has straightforward advice.
"If you encounter a bear, which is gonna be unlikely here, but if you do, I mean, you want to talk so it knows that you're human and not an animal," Haas said. "Then you're gonna want to get as big as you can, so you're gonna want to raise your hands. But don’t run!"
Haas added that the same approach applies to mountain lions and coyotes: "Get as big as you can, make as much noise as you can, and slowly back away so that your back isn’t to them."
Visitors are encouraged to report any sightings of large wildlife to the park’s ranger station to ensure both public and animal safety.
Catalina State Park is located at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, about 15 miles north of Tucson, and is managed by Arizona State Parks and Trails.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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