The Arizona Game and Fish Department is warning Mount Lemmon travelers about bears spotted on the mountain.
A female bear and two cubs were spotted, so travelers should be aware of bear danger if they go up the mountain once the road reopens Friday.
With MT. Lemmon opening up on Friday .. @azgfd put up signs warning visitors about these bears (below) .... A female bear and her two cubs. pic.twitter.com/19sRXhUXAq
— Jennifer Martinez (@Jennymartineztv) July 13, 2017
The bears are believed to have been flushed out of their habitat by the Burro Fire and seem to not be afraid of people. Eight bears have been spotted in the Santa Catalina Mountains since June 11.
"We would expect some displacement of bears by the Burro Fire, but these bears and others should not be fed out of sympathy, nor approached or photographed too closely. Female bears with cubs can be quite dangerous," said Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of Game and Fish in Tucson.
Mark Hart with AZGFD says many times when animals are displaced people tend to feel bad for them. In turn, giving them human food but Hart urges people to not feel the bears.
"If you feed a bear it's only going to want human source food from that point on and it will become a nuisance bear and become a dangerous bear," says Hart.
