Why is the Louisiana Black Bear so
Rare?
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 The
American black bear, Ursus americanus, was once found
throughout North America as far up as Alaska and northern
Canada and as far south as areas of northern Mexico. Of the
16 recognized subspecies of black bears in North America,
those animals found in Louisiana, the lower two thirds of
Mississippi, and eastern Texas are considered to belong to
the subspecies Ursus americanus luteolus, the Louisiana
black bear. Historic accounts refer to bears as common
throughout these states, with greatest densities in
 the
expansive bottomland hardwood forests associated with river
basins in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV). The
existence of viable populations of the Louisiana black bear
has been jeopardized by significant habitat alteration and
reduction of the bear’s range. Consequently, in 1992 the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared the subspecies
“threatened” under provisions of the Endangered Species Act
(ESA).
The decline in Louisiana black bear
abundance can primarily be attributed to habitat loss and
unregulated harvest. Because of land drainage and clearing
of bottomland hardwood forests for agriculture, the original
24 million acres of these forests in the LMAV was reduced to
4 million acres by 1980. Unfortunately, many of these vast
tracts are too wet for agriculture and are considered
marginal or totally non-productive as cropland. Examples of
the extent of habitat loss include the Tensas River Basin in
Louisiana and the Yazoo River Basin in Mississippi, where
less that 20 percent of the original forested acreage
remained in bottomland hardwoods. Because
 black
bears have a low reproductive rate, the effect of illegal
kill of adults, especially females, is also serious concern.
Habitat loss surely contributed to declining black bear
populations, but unregulated hunting may have been a primary
factor limiting recovery.
Although the amount of bottomland hardwood
loss has stabilized since the early 1990’s, restoration of
this habitat is still critical for bear recovery. Presently,
black bear populations are found in core areas in the Tensas
and Atchafalaya River basins in Louisiana, with small,
scattered populations in southeast Louisiana and western
Mississippi. Biologists estimate the current population at
500 to 700 animals within the historic range.
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