A hiker thought she was exploring a lesser-known trail in one of Texas’ most scenic state parks until she unexpectedly encountered one of the state’s rarest and most endangered species. While camping in Terlingua at Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas, Odessa resident Ashlea Roquemore decided to hike the unmarked, approximately 5-mile-long Cattail Falls trail. This path, littered with poison oak, ends at a hidden waterfall. “The trail is unmarked because the park is trying to preserve the spot as those falls supply the water for the basin,” Roquemore told Chron.
Less than a mile from the trail’s end, Roquemore took a sharp turn and found herself face-to-face with a huge Mexican black bear, which was pawing at something on the ground. “I’d say his head probably would have come up to chest height on me while he was on all fours,” she said. Though Mexican black bears aren’t the largest ursine species and are typically thinner, the encounter still startled Roquemore. “I froze, had so much adrenaline in my system my hand to my ankles were shaking,” she said. “I moved back about 20 feet and he came up to the corner and peeked around at me…and I guess decided to just move uphill.”
As the bear climbed away from Roquemore, she managed to take a few pictures. “It was such a perfect experience to be so close and have him all to myself,” she said. “He never seemed bothered by me or very interested, just ready to move on.” After the sighting, she spoke to a park guide who explained that black bears often frequent that part of the park due to the ongoing heat and nearby water source.
Black bears are a protected and rare species in Texas. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), at least two subspecies of black bear exist in Texas: the Mexican black bear and the New Mexico black bear. Both are state-listed as endangered and are found in West Texas in desert scrub or woodland habitats within scattered mountain ranges, predominantly the Chisos and Guadalupe Mountains.
In October 2023, it was reported that black bears are expanding back to areas where they once roamed freely since they are no longer hunted. Since 2000, confirmed sightings of the species in the state have increased sixfold. TPWD biologists encourage people to report recent sightings to the state agency, as research is underway to determine the status of black bears in Texas. Roquemore did not report her sighting as she quickly left the park after the hike, eager to process the photos she captured.
This wasn’t Roquemore’s first encounter with a black bear at Big Bend. She spends a lot of time hiking at the state park, usually once a month since her first visit in 2020. During that trip, she and her kids saw a mother bear and her two cubs in the distance. It was her first time seeing a bear in the wild. “I’m originally from Colorado and people are shocked when I tell them there are more bears in Big Bend than I’ve ever seen hiking back home,” she said. “Most people don’t even realize there are bears there.”
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