PRESS ADVISORY/Information Links Bear Education And Resource Program Susan Russell, Wildlife Policy Director Cell: 732.219.9033 For Immediate Release Public Safety and the Black Bear There has been a suspected, and tragic, black bear fatality in Apshawa Preserve, West Milford, New Jersey. Hiker Darsh Patel was only 22 years old. What occurred is not yet clear. That such events are exceedingly rare does not help the victim, his grieving family, and friends. There is no guarantee that any program can avert such a tragedy. However, New Jersey must join other bear regions and get serious about restricting black bear access to human foods, primarily trash, bear/deer bait and foods brought to campgrounds, and maintain a comprehensive and rigorous education campaign. Teton County, Wyoming, Eagle County, Colorado, and Juneau, Alaska, to name a few, have mandated bear- resistant bins and dumpsters. It is these programs that are recommended by the leading researchers in the United States. In response to long-standing food containment programs at Yosemite National Park, black bears have reduced their intake of human food by 63 percent. This in turn reduces human-bear conflicts. As reported by the University of California: ”According to Hopkins, the key to managing bear problems is to prevent bears from becoming conditioned to eat human food in the first place.” See other reports in the Los Angeles Times and the Christian Science Monitor . According to the Wildlife Conservation Society (2008): · Although in reality black bears pose little threat to human safety, they are sometimes feared. · The species’ power in the public eye can lead to intense public safety concerns and, thus, extreme management reactions. · In this discussion, however, it is important to recognize that humans are a root cause of many of these issues, and that focusing on bears as a public safety threat or as an economic nuisance is largely counterproductive. To solve these problems, the central focus needs to be human behavior. The Society’s management recommendations: · Educating the public about keep human food from bears · Requiring the public to, and providing the means to, secure food and garbage · Enforcing requirements and laws · Land use decisions and other strategies to keep people and bears apart Similar legislation introduced in New Jersey has consistently been opposed by hunters’ organizations. An existing bear feeding statute is both poorly drafted and poorly enforced. The state has instead held six consecutive sport hunts. Human-Bear Interactions, Conflict Wildlife researchers attribute 35 percent of human-bear conflict in Yosemite National Park to conditioned bears. The majority of other incidents were due to human error (Matthews et al., 2003) (Final Report: Bear Element Assessment Focused on Human-Bear Conflicts in Yosemite National Park: “We quantified the proportions and trends of the causes of human-bear incidents. Yosemite National Park personnel coded each human-bear incident based on the apparent reason it occurred. Reasons included unknown; feeding, baiting, or harassing bears; food left unguarded; improperly disposed garbage; improperly stored food; improper storage of a bear attractant; accidental encounter; conditioned bear behavior; and other. “Conditioned bear behavior, human error, and accidental encounters were documented as the cause of 35, 65, and < 1% of the human-bear incidents, respectively. Because accidental encounters were relatively infrequent, they were not considered further in the analyses. A significantly larger proportion of incidents were caused by human error than conditioned bear behavior r (Z = -3.96, df = 12, p < 0.001). We detected no trend in the number of incidents that were caused by conditioned bear behavior (b = 2.3, p = 0.808, n = 14) and an increasing trend in the number caused by human error (b = 23.4, p = 0.046, n = 14)” (Matthews et al., 2003). Avoiding nuisance encounters in Bear Country Black bears are highly intelligent and adaptable. This species is capable of living in close proximity to humans. Opportunists with a keen sense of smell, bears are drawn to unsecured garbage, bear and deer bait, bird feeders, orchards, farm crops, beehives, outside pet food, and organic compost piles. Essentially, food and fear drive behavior. Therefore: Properly store or secure all odorous food/non-food items. Use approved, bear-resistant containters (bins, dumpsters), plastic bags to seal in odors, and store garbage inside buildings. Do not put garbage out at night. Use electric fences around hives, orchards, and compost piles. Attach spill pans to bird feeders and hang out of reach (10 feet up). Clear away dense brush and protective cover from yard. More tips Do not surprise a bear; black bears tend to be nervous and easily frightened. They can cause injury if startled, cornered, or provoked. Warn a bear of your presence by occasionally clapping or using bells. UBe cautious and alert when hiking in windy weather, downwind, along streams, through dense vegetation or natural food areas, and when approaching blind curves where a bear may not hear, see, or smell you. Should you encounter a black bear In their natural habitat: • Stay calm. Allow the bear to walk away. Do not run (running may elicit a chase response by the bear). • Slowly retreat from area or make wide detour around bear; do not crowd or block a bears escape route. • Don’t feed the bear. • Pick up children so they do not run or scream; restrain dogs; speak in a soothing, calm voice. • Back away, very slowly; if bear chomps jaw, lunges, or slaps ground or brush with paw, he feels threatened. • Frighten the bear away by waving your arms, stomping your feet, and yelling. In residential areas: • Most bears are just passing through. Do nothing. • Do not feed the bear. • Discourage the bear with basic aversive conditioning techniques. Begin intensely, and vary your tactics: Wave your arms, open an umbrella, stomp your feet, yell, use air horns, bear bells, pepper spray, shake coins in a tin can, super-soakers, water guns, garden hoses, whistles, and loud noises. Note: Bear attacks on humans are extremely rare. A person is 180 times more likely to be killed by a bee and 160,000 times more likely to die in a car accident. The black bear is a shy, strong and powerful animal; the by-words are caution and respect. Visit: BearSmartNJ.org
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 19:04:18 +0000
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