| Successful restoration of the Louisiana
black bear is dependent on public support. An effective
response by wildlife professionals to all reported bear
conflicts, whether perceived or real, is critical in
determining whether the public views the bear as an asset or
a liability.
Most conflicts between bears and humans
are related to the animals’ search for food. Nuisance
activities are usually more common in years when there is a
shortage of natural foods. An amazingly acute sense of smell
enables the bear to find sources of nourishment, and
unfortunately this can be beehives, garbage, or pet foods.
Damage to crops such as corn, wheat, oats, watermelon, and
sugarcane has also been reported. When compared to other
types of agricultural losses, however, those caused by black
bears are relatively small although can be locally severe.
Other issues reported to wildlife agencies include bears
eating corn and other grains from feeders used by hunters to
attract deer and scavenging animals caught in traps set by
commercial trappers.
Although generally shy creatures, bears
are very intelligent and possess excellent learning and long
term memory capabilities. Bears will continue to return to
areas where they have found food in the past. Bears lose
their instinctive fear of humans quite easily when food
conditioned and can become nuisances as a result. Problems
vary from the simple presence of a bear, perceived as
dangerous, to actual property damage or possible safety
threats.
The public needs to be provided with
factual information about black bears so that conflicts can
be avoided or acceptably resolved. Landowners, agricultural
producers and other wildlife resource users educated about
bears can minimize bear-caused damage through preventative
methods. Once educated about bears, most people readily
accept their presence and are willing to modify certain
behaviors to avoid conflict. In most conflict situations, no
single control technique will solve all nuisance bear
problems. However, certain measures that are initiated in a
timely manner, maintained properly, and applied with an
understanding of bear behavior, can greatly reduce any
problems associated with bears. The best way to avoid
trouble with bears is to prevent the issues from arising in
the first place. |
