Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Photography
  3. News

Forest Service says no more bear selfies — unless it’s with Smokey

Kyle Wiggers
By

Paul Souders snaps a selfie with a female grizzly
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Bears are generally quite docile, despite their reputation for ferocity, but don’t take that as permission to take a selfie with one. That’s the U.S. Forest Service’s message to visitors of the Taylor Creek Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe, after reports of people trying to take selfies with bears feeding on the annual run of kokanee salmon surfaced.

Proving once again that common sense is in short supply, “mobs of people” have been rushing towards the animals in an effort to capture ‘bear selfies’ with their smartphones, a spokeswoman for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management site told USA Today. Though there haven’t been reports of injuries, a bear reportedly charged one group.

Recommended Videos

So my bear selfie keeps popping up on the internet. Ha. So here it is again. #bearselfie #bear #bears #selfie

A photo posted by Jacob Bean (@jacob_bean) on

Officials, concerned the behavior might provoke the bears to violence, are threatening to close down the area. The heavy mammals are capable of serious damage — black bears, the species native to the area, can weigh as much as 500 pounds and run 35 mph.  

The Forest Service would also really prefer that people not stop their cars and leave marked trails to get a better angle of the bears. As tempting as capturing a photo of these beautiful animals may be to some people, the Forest Service says, it “presents a safety issue.” No kidding.

However, if you still feel tempted to take a bear selfie, you can always count on Smokey the Bear or your own teddy.

Topics
Kyle Wiggers
Kyle Wiggers
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
DJI Mini Pro 4 leak appears to reveal the drone’s specs
A retail box apparently showing DJI's upcoming Mini Pro 4 drone.

DJI appears close to unveiling the Mini 4 Pro, the successor to the Mini 3 Pro that launched in May last year.

First, as a reminder, DJI’s smallest and lightest “Pro” drone tips the scales at just 249 grams, a carefully considered move as it’s just 1 gram below the drone weight category that involves having to register it with the authorities. Sure, that’s no great hardship for most folks, but the fewer hoops you have to jump through to get your bird in the sky, the better.

Read more
GoPro unveils its latest action camera, the Hero 12 Black
GoPro's Hero 12 Black action camera.

GoPro: Introducing HERO12 Black | Everything You Need to Know

GoPro is back with the latest iteration of its popular action camera. The new GoPro Hero 12 Black is the kind of solid piece of kit we’ve come to expect from a company that’s been in the game for years. That’s actually created a bit of a problem for GoPro, with many customers happy to hang onto their current model rather than upgrade. So it'll be hoping the latest version will be attractive enough to prompt a wave of purchases among current owners, while at the same time attracting a bunch of first-time buyers, too.

Read more
How to hide photos on your Android phone or tablet
Google Photos

While modern smartphones are quite secure as long as they remain locked with a passcode or biometrics like a fingerprint, by default those features only protect the front door. If someone picks up your phone while it's unlocked, there aren't typically any barriers that will keep them out of exploring everything from your contacts and emails to your photos.

This can be particularly challenging when it comes to photos, since those are the things we like to show off the most from our phones. We've likely all had those moments when we want to show a friend or co-worker a funny cat meme, so we hand over our phone and trust that they won't swipe right and see the photo of the hairy mole that we sent to our doctor that morning.

Read more