Bear on the beach: Cape Lookout biologist finds bear claw track in sand

CAPE LOOKOUT, N.C. (WTVD) -- Beachgoers are few and far between lately with the COVID-19 pandemic. You don't know who or what might wind up on the shoreline these days.

But, as more beachgoers return to the beach, Cape Lookout National Seashore is warning them to be on the lookout for a black bear.

The Cape Lookout National Seashore Facebook page this weekend posted a photo of a bear track after a biologist saw it in the sand on the South Core Banks, part of the chain of Outer Banks barrier islands.

Black bears are common in North Carolina and can be found in uninhabited woodland or swampland. Park rangers think this bear probably made its way off the beach.

"This past week one of our park biologists, who was monitoring nesting birds near Ophelia Inlet, found a bear track in the sand. Bears generally don't stay long -- this one is probably back on the mainland already -- and normally aren't a problem for our surf fishers or campers."

Cape Lookout officials suggest to properly store away food and trash so bears can't pick up their scent.