On Tuesday, April 16, NCWRC staff were contacted by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department regarding a group of people at an apartment complex seen pulling two bear cubs from a tree and taking photos of themselves with the cubs. NCWRC staff arrived and were told both cubs had escaped after a cub bit one of the people. One of the cubs was found later in a retention pond and taken to a licensed cub rehabilitation facility. The other has not been located. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is confirming 13 new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) from deer samples submitted since July 1, 2023. This brings the total number of positive results in North Carolina to 24, since the disease was first detected in a Yadkin County deer harvested in 2021. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 1,000 miles of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters at 7 a.m. on April 6. The season will run through February 28, 2025. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) offers helpful guidance when encountering various wildlife as they become more visible this time of year.