NPSpecies

Bears have been reported sporadically in the interior of the park, especially in the deeper woods around the Nature Trail and further into the SE end of the park. Visitors have reported seeing black bears on the nature trail during at least the early and mid 2000s, and in fall 2007, Jenny Fowler and a fire crew found large claw marks in trees in the deep forest in the SE isolate end of park. Bears have also been occasionally reported from nearby Thickety Mountain, and likely travel back and forth from the nearby Appalachian Mountains to the north.; Data Source: Jenny Fowler COWP Ranger, and Paul Carson, ex-acting superindendent at COWP & NISI

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reported one occurrence of this species in York County (April 1995, off Chapel Road). The bear was identified by SCDNR officials from claw marks on a tree and scat. While I documented no other occurrences of this species in the York County region, the identification seems valid. Bear scat and the deep claw impressions left in trees are distinctive (Murie, 1982), and Ursus americanus is the only bear native to this region (Webster et al., 1985). SCDNR believed this was a transient individual, since the bear was out of its normal mountain or coastal plain range (Webster et al., 1985).; Data Source: Fields 2000

Park Species Data Source: Fields 2000