The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) passed an emergency rule on October 1 prohibiting the feeding of black bears in Buncombe County, whether intentionally or accidentally.

The new rule responds to an alarming statistic: More than 40% of interactions between people and bears The incidents reported to the NCWRC statewide occur in Buncombe, primarily in Asheville, Black Mountain, and Swannanoa, according to the agency.

For instance, between May 1 and September 30, the NCWRC received 836 reports of bear activity in the county, including 71 reports of bears inside homes. During that period, five pets were killed, two were injured, and two residents reported injuries.

Home burglaries are also concentrated in the county. Of all those reported in North Carolina in the last three years, 72% occurred in Buncombe.

“We hope this emergency rule will discourage residents from intentionally feeding bears and perhaps make them realize that their actions are causing harm to both bears and other residents,” said Brad Howard, chief of the NCWRC’s Division of Wildlife Management.

Feeding bears banned in Buncombe

The ban includes leaving food or products that attract these animals within reach.

“These incidents are primarily due to people feeding the bears or leaving food out, such as pet food, trash cans, and bird feeders,” said Jenna Malzahn, a black bear biologist with the NCWRC. According to Malzahn, this causes the bears to lose their fear of people.

The rule does not apply to the normal feeding of birds, pets or farm animals, or to legal bait for hunting, unless those activities endanger people or domestic animals or cause damage to property.

El buncombe county and city ​​of asheville They already have ordinances prohibiting attracting bears with food. The state rule goes further, making the violation a crime and, for the first time, allowing state wildlife officers to enforce it.

According to state lawViolating an NCWRC rule is a Class 3 misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class 2 misdemeanor if repeated within three years. These offenses can have fines of up to $200 and $1,000respectively.

Major Chad Arnold of the agency said officers will be able to issue warnings or fines, depending on the case. “The goal is not to punish, but to prevent,” he stated. The rule will take effect on October 12, according to its official text.

Related:  Six basic rules for living with bears in urban areas

The North Asheville Bear

The decision comes almost two months after a bear He entered through an unlocked door into a house in North Asheville The incident occurred while the resident was sleeping on August 18. The woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The bear had frequent access to pet food inside and unsecured garbage outside, according to the NCWRC investigation. She has since broken into nine other homes.

The agency had planned to euthanize her, but decided against it, according to reports. Blue Ridge Public RadioOn September 18, the NCWRC said that if they manage to capture her alive, the North Carolina Zoo will care for her temporarily until they find her a permanent home.

You may be interested:  Where can I find mental health clinics and programs in Buncombe?

Public hearing and comments

The emergency rule is a quick, short-term measure that, by law, is not subject to public consultation. To ensure the ban remains in effect afterward, the NCWRC proposed a second version with the same content, called a temporary rule, which is open to public comment. The board of commissioners will decide in December whether to approve it.

• The public hearing will be held on October 21 at 6:00 pm in the Ferguson Auditorium at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (AB Tech), located at 19 Tech Dr, Asheville.

• Comments are welcome until November 6 via the NCWRC online form, by email to regulations@ncwildlife.gov (including name, county and state of residence) or by mail to Rulemaking Coordinator, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1701.

• To report concerning bear behavior, the North Carolina Wildlife Helpline is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, at 866-318-2401 or at HWI@ncwildlife.govOutside of those hours, the number is 800-662-7137. In an emergency, call 911.

Republish This Story

Republish our stories for free on your website or newspaper. We follow the Creative Commons license. Click the box and follow the instructions.

close window

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

"This article may be republished for free under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Enlace Latino NC authorizes the reproduction of this content in newspapers and digital platforms, provided that the integrity of the text is maintained and that it is cited Enlace Latino NC and the author of the story to be republished as the primary source. If you publish the story in a digital news outlet or website, you must include a link to our website: www.enlacelatinonc.org

If you wish to make edits to the content to be republished, please contact our editorial team at walter@enlacelatinonc.org to obtain the corresponding permit."

Feeding bears in Buncombe County could have criminal consequences under new state rule

by Patricia Serrano, Enlace Latino NC
October 5, 2026

Enlace Latino NCOctober 5, 2026 The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) passed an emergency rule on October 1 prohibiting the feeding of black bears in Buncombe County, whether intentionally or accidentally. The new rule responds to an alarming fact: More than 40% of human-bear interactions reported to the NCWRC statewide occur in Buncombe, primarily in Asheville, Black Mountain and Swannanoa, according to the agency. For instance, between May 1 and September 30, the NCWRC received 836 reports of bear activity in the county, including 71 of bears inside homes. During that period, five pets died, two were injured, and two residents reported injuries. Home invasions are also concentrated in the county. Of all the reported cases in North Carolina in the last three years, 72% occurred in Buncombe. “We hope this emergency rule will discourage residents from intentionally feeding bears and perhaps make them realize that their actions are causing harm to both bears and other residents,” said Brad Howard, chief of the NCWRC’s Division of Wildlife Management. Feeding bears banned in Buncombe The ban includes leaving food or products that attract these animals within reach. “These incidents are primarily due to people feeding the bears or leaving food within reach, such as pet food outside, trash cans, and bird feeders,” said Jenna Malzahn, a black bear biologist with the NCWRC. According to Malzahn, this makes bears lose their fear of people. The rule does not apply to the normal feeding of birds, pets or farm animals, or to legal bait for hunting, unless those activities endanger people or domestic animals or cause damage to property. Buncombe County and the city of Asheville already have ordinances prohibiting attracting bears with food. The state rule goes further, because it makes the violation a crime and, for the first time, allows state wildlife officers to enforce it. Under state law , violating an NCWRC rule is a Class 3 misdemeanor the first time and a Class 2 misdemeanor if repeated within three years. Those offenses can carry fines of up to $200 and $1,000 , respectively. Major Chad Arnold of the agency said that officers will be able to issue warnings or fines, depending on the case. “The goal is not to punish, but to prevent,” he stated. The rule will come into effect on October 12, according to its official text. Related: Six basic rules for living with bears in urban areas The North Asheville Bear The decision comes almost two months after a bear entered a north Asheville home through an unlocked door while the resident was sleeping on August 18. The woman suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. The bear had frequent access to pet food inside and unsecured garbage outside, according to the NCWRC investigation. Since then he has forced his way into nine other houses. The agency planned to euthanize her, but decided against it, according to Blue Ridge Public Radio . On September 18, the NCWRC said that if they manage to capture her alive, the North Carolina Zoo will care for her temporarily until they find her a permanent home. You may be interested in: Where to find mental health clinics and programs in Buncombe? Public hearing and comments The emergency rule is a quick and short-term measure that, by law, does not go through public consultation. To ensure the ban remains in effect afterward, the NCWRC proposed a second version with the same content, called a temporary rule, which is open to public comment. The board of commissioners will decide in December whether to approve it. The public hearing will be on October 21st at 6:00 pm at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College's (AB Tech) Ferguson Auditorium, 19 Tech Dr, Asheville. Comments are welcome until November 6 via the NCWRC online form, by email to regulations@ncwildlife.gov (including name, county and state of residence) or by mail to Rulemaking Coordinator, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1701. To report concerning bear behavior, the North Carolina Wildlife Helpline is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am at 5:00 pm, at 866-318-2401 or at HWI@ncwildlife.gov . Outside of those hours, the number is 800-662-7137. In an emergency, you should call 911. This article first appeared onEnlace Latino NCand is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: "https://enlacelatinonc.org/alimentar-osos-en-el-condado-de-buncombe-podria-tener-consecuencias-penales-con-nueva-regla-estatal/", urlref: window.location.href }); } }

Copy to clipboard