Bears, alligators, and bobcats are appearing more often in Huntsville neighborhoods as the Alabama city builds outward into natural habitats.
What’s happening?
As AL.com reported, residents in Huntsville were surprised when a bear appeared on video walking around a neighborhood last month. In nearby Athens, police told locals “not to feed or take selfies with” the bear seen within the city limits.
Wildlife officials aren’t shocked by these unusual encounters. “The Madison-Huntsville area is developing at an exponential rate,” explained Nick Wirwa, a biologist at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. “Many of these areas are adjacent to Wheeler. Because of this the refuge expects there to be impacts.”
Black bears have slowly moved from northwest Georgia into northeast Alabama in recent years. Though rare in Huntsville itself, they’ve formed a small group in nearby counties…