U.S. Forest Service officials are warning against a dangerous trend that appears to be growing online: taking selfies with bears.
Officials at Taylor Creek Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe said they may close the visitor center
if the trend continues, CBS Sacramento reported.
"Bears are unpredictable, wild animals and may attack if threatened," forest supervisor Nancy Gibson told the station.
Bear attacks are rare, but officials worry that the danger will increase as more people
approach them, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.
"We've had mobs of people that are actually rushing toward the bears trying to get a 'selfie' photo," Lisa Herron, spokesperson for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, told the newspaper.
Wildlife officials spread the word to use caution around bears, as they can be unpredictable.
Smokey the Bear also chimed in on Twitter.
Meanwhile, some who have posted bear selfies have received unwanted attention and criticism on social media.
Other Twitter users seemed incredulous about the trend.
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