English: It was a grey day, and the shot I really wanted included the gothic apartment building behind him. But getting that shot required getting imprudently close, and I have a strong appreciation for the danger he presented. But they illustrate Asheville's growing problem with bears.

Our bear population is growing at the same time our growing human population is reducing their natural habitat. They've become habituated to people and are now found almost everywhere.Asheville is becoming like Juneau Alaska in that respect.

I photographed this bear in the middle of the afternoon, the day after Christmas, on Macon Avenue less than 300 yards from the front doors of the Grove Park Inn. A large, healthy adult, he or she calmly watched the holiday traffic come to a standstill as people jumped out of their cars with cellphone cameras. The street became backed up in both directions, and even a city bus was caught in the jam. Ignoring the human chaos he was causing, the bear calmly climbed up on a large trash dumpster, flipped open the lid with obvious familiarity, and fished through the garbage bags inside. When he found what he wanted, he climbed down and carried it up the hill into a nearby bamboo thicket.

I now see more bears in Asheville in a year than I have in all thrty-five years I roamed these mountain forest trails. Of course they aren't hunted here in town, so they have no fear of humans. And with the warm temperatures here, they don't hibernate, so they're always out prowling for food. One day soon there is going to be a tragic incident when some dog walker tries to rescue their pet from one, or when someone taking out their trash surprises a bear with her cubs. It's not going to end well.