Yosemite National Park to visitors: Slow down to save the bears

One of the nation’s more popular national parks is reminding visitors to slow down after they say five black bears have been hit by vehicles already this year.

In a social media post on Thursday, Yosemite National Park reminded visitors to follow the "Speeding Kills Bears" signs in the park after the uptick in incidents. All of the signs have been placed where bears have been struck over the calendar year, according to park officials.

"If you are visiting Yosemite, please drive the speed limit on all of our roads and use extra caution during dawn and dusk hours when wildlife is active and can be harder to spot," park officials wrote.

They add that this is a practice that can also go beyond the national park located within the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.

For instance, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources estimates that about 10,000 deer are killed by vehicle collisions in Utah alone every year. The agency's roadkill app, created in partnership with the Utah Department of Transportation, yielded information on all sorts of other animals that died from vehicle collisions last year, including two black bears.

In addition to advising drivers to watch out for wildlife, both agencies are using data collected from the app to determine future wildlife fencing and crossings, state transportation and wildlife biologists explained in December.

"As we collect more data, we will know more about when and where animals are crossing roads so we can implement projects based on needs in those areas," said Blair Stringham, migration initiative coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "Things like wildlife fencing, underpasses, overpasses and signs will result from this important data."

But these types of projects are harder to install in places like Yosemite National Park. So the next best practice is to heed the signs and slow down.

"When you see these signs, remember that the roads we use to travel through the park are also wildlife crossings," park officials added Thursday.

The park attracted more than 3.8 million visitors last year, making it the sixth most-visited national park in 2023.