Living with bears

By Clay Fulghum and Marshall Jones, June 2009

Got bears on your mind? Or in your yard, your orchard, your beehives, or even in your kitchen? Many people are wondering how to live with our burgeoning bear population in a way that keeps both bears and people out of trouble.


	Bear and three cubs. Photo by Jaime Sajecki, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Black bears were the center of attention at Rappahannock County High School on Saturday, June 6, when the RLEP Biodiversity Task Force sponsored a program by Jaime Sajecki, Black Bear Project Leader for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF). At least a hundred and twenty-five residents of Rappahannock and surrounding counties attended the presentation to learn more about how to live with bears.

And learn they did. Importantly, Sejecki stressed that no unprovoked black bear attack has ever taken place in the state of Virginia, despite some people's fears.

"Most fears about black bears are perpetuated by misinformation and sensationalism," says Sajecki. "One of the most important things we can do for both people and bears is to replace all of the misinformation and unfair perceptions with facts based on science and biology."


Bear picking plums. Photo by Paul Farmer.

Sajecki announced a new state-wide population estimate of between 12,000 and 16,000 black bears in Virginia, with the number increasing by about 9.5 percent per year. Bears have made an astounding comeback from their low point around the turn of the last century, when they had been reduced to remnant populations in the most remote parts of Virginia. Today, the Blue Ridge and adjacent Piedmont is the epicenter of a bear population which now touches nearly every county in the Commonwealth.

She also cited data that show, in all of North America, for every person killed by a black bear, 60 are killed by domestic dogs, 180 by bees, and 350 by lightning. Thus, the risk of injury or death is "extremely minimal," especially given the hundreds of thousands of human – bear encounters and a population estimate of close to a million North American black bears. Even a mother with cubs would prefer to melt into the forest at the first sign of people, or send the cubs up a tree if she really feels threatened.

Bears are not shy, however, in their relentless search for food. Although their natural diet consists of berries, nuts, grubs, and occasional small mammals, bears are also quick to adapt to human food sources if they’re available. The sweet residue of a Memorial Day barbecue on a grill, bird seed in a low-hanging feeder, or pet food left out on a porch may be too much for a hungry bear to resist. Apples, peaches, sweet corn, and honey in beehives may also become part of an enterprising bruin’s menu.

Junk Food for Bears – Acorns vs Cheeseburgers
(A comparison of human-associated foods vs. a bear’s natural fall diet of acorns – from the Living with Wildlife Foundation)
A dozen eggs = 888 calories = 234 acorns
A pound of hot dogs = 1,456 calories = 384 acorns
A double cheeseburger combo = 1,620 calories = 427 acorns
A pound of sunflower seeds = 1,720 calories = 458 acorns
A dozen jelly donuts = 2,640 calories = 695 acorns
A large pepperoni pizza = 17,352 calories = 4,566 acorns

Human beings are actually far more dangerous to black bears than bears are to us. If we feed them, Sajecki said, whether inadvertently or on purpose, they may habituate to our garbage cans, bird feeders, pet food containers, or feed bins. She provided data that a pound of hot dogs filched from a trash can contains 1,456 calories, equivalent to 234 acorns, one of a bear's staple foods in the fall as it prepares for winter.

If the problem is addressed promptly, however, and the bear fails to find more food, it will usually leave the area, although this may require 10 to 14 days. Bird feeders need to be put away by April, when birds no longer supplemental food from us. Orchardists and beekeepers can use electric fencing to protect fruit and hives, with specifications available from VDGIF.

Under Virginia law it is actually illegal to feed bears either on public or private lands, Sajecki noted, whether we intend to do so or not. The responsibility is ours.

She also corrected some popular myths about black bears, which are naturally very shy and have a distrust of human beings. One frequent myth is that a bear standing on its hind legs is about to attack. In fact, a bear stands on its hind legs to get a better view and smell of the surroundings. It's not an aggressive posture.

Another myth is that the most dangerous encounter is getting between a mother black bear and her cubs. In fact, bears in the face of danger send their cubs up a tree. [Listen to audio samples of bear vocalizations] If you see a mother bear and cubs, give them space, be quiet, and retreat slowly, the same procedure you should use in any close encounter with a bear.

Finally, there is the myth that relocating a "nuisance" bear will solve the problem. The problem bear either will return to its old home range, or become a nuisance in the new area. Unless the problem food source is dealt with, this also creates a newly available nuisance niche for another bear.

"Greatly overlooked is the privilege of living in an area that supports a healthy bear population," Sajecki said. But with that privilege comes the responsibility to ensure that our actions keep bears wild. It is much easier to prevent a bear from ever associating human dwellings and farms with food than it is to break a bad bear habit once it has started.

Also on this website: Living in bear country—A privilege and a responsibility

Links to more information about living with black bears in Virginia

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) "Living with Black Bears in Virginia" video – to see the video online, and get a link to the transcript of the video narration, go to: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/video/?video=1

VDGIF "Bear Information" home page (including links to information on electric fencing many other bear topics: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/bear/

VDGIF "Living with Bears in Virginia" leaflet: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/bear/living-with-black-bears.asp

VDGIF "Black Bear Fact Sheet"
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/bear/black-bear-facts.asp

National Park Service, Shenandoah National Park, "American Black Bear" home page: http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/black-bear.htm

USDA Forest Service, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National Forests "Be Bear Aware" home page: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/general_info/bear_safety.shtml

North American Bear Center, a non-profit organization based in Ely, Minnesota:
http://www.bear.org/website/

Center for Wildlife Information, a non-profit organization based in Missoula, Montana— “Be Bear Aware” home page:
http://www.centerforwildlifeinformation.org/BeBearAware/bebearaware.html

Get Bear Smart Society, a Canadian non-profit organization based in Whistler, British Columbia: http://www.bearsmart.com/

Living with Bears: A Practical Guide to Bear Country, by Linda Masterson, published in 2006 by PixyJack Press – an excellent book available from Shenandoah National Park Association at Park Visitor Centers or from other booksellers.