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Black Bears Bounce Back WASHINGTON, DC, May 23, 2002 (ENS) - While many other large mammals are vanishing from the North American landscape, American black bear populations are stable or increasing across most of their continental range, a long term study has found. But further action is needed to address poaching, illegal trade, and monitoring of legal hunting in order to fully protect black bears, says the study by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring program of World Wildlife Fund and IUCN-The World Conservation Union.
The report was compiled from responses to a detailed set of survey questions submitted to wildlife management agencies at the state, provincial, and territorial level in the United States and Canada. The study covers a period of almost 10 years, and provides a comprehensive, long term look at black bear population trends in North America. Although some subspecies, such as the Louisiana black bear, remain threatened, the overall news is good based on population numbers. The estimated black bear population in the United States grew by up to 35 percent during the survey period, from about 253,000 to 375,000 in 1988 to an estimated 339,000 to 465,000 in the mid-1990s. In Canada during the same period, black bear population estimates increased from 372,500 to 382,500 in 1988 up to a maximum of 476,000 bears today. Black bear populations in Mexico were difficult to assess because of the lack of available data, researchers said. "American black bears are doing well throughout most of their current range," said Craig Hoover, deputy director of TRAFFIC North America. "On the whole, wildlife management authorities responsible for black bear conservation should receive credit and acclamation for this success." Still, the TRAFFIC surveys found that in many states, laws and regulations to address poaching, illegal trade, and monitoring of hunting and commercial activities involving bears could be improved.
Bear parts continue to be in demand, especially the gallbladders and paws, which are used in Asian markets as medicine and food. American black bears are killed to meet demand in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China were the bile from bear gallbladders is considered to have great medicinal qualities. In China and elsewhere, bear paws are a gourmet delicacy, often used in soups. For the purposes of traditional Chinese medicine, the bear is "a walking drugstore," TRAFFIC reported in an earlier study released in 1995. "Many parts of the bear, from fat to brain to spinal cord, have been used for millennia. The most coveted medicinal part of the bear is the bile within the gall bladder, which gram for gram can exceed the cost of narcotics," the researchers found. Bear bile is not prescribed as an aphrodisiac. Medical applications include treatment of cancers, burns, pain and redness of the eyes, asthma, sinusitis and pain in general. Bear gall bladder is also used to treat serious liver ailments and as a tonic to prevent liver damage from overconsumption of alcohol, TRAFFIC said. Illegal killings continue to be reported throughout the black bear's range, though the report found no indication that the number of bears killed threatens the status of the species. States, provinces and territories have tightened restrictions on trade in recent years, with a growing number banning the sale of gallbladders and other parts. Yet four U.S. states - Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa - and one Canadian province, Prince Edward Island, have no laws governing the bear trade. "Wildlife agencies and legislative bodies need to close the existing legislative and regulatory gaps in current black bear management efforts," Hoover said. Although they are called black bears, colors can range from black to cinnamon brown, silver-blue and, occasionally, even white. The white bears, which live only on a small portion of the coast of British Columbia, are called spirit bears or Kermode bears. The black bear is about five feet long and varies in weight from 125 to 400 pounds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers a description of bear biology. Black bears are found in 41 U.S. states and 12 Canadian provinces and territories, concentrated in northern and western regions of the United States and the southern parts of Canada.
The British Columbia government today passed regulations to establish 20 new temporary protection areas for the white Kermode bear and other ecological areas in the rainforests of the Central Coast, also known as the Great Bear Rainforest. The protection areas, totalling 441,000 hectares (1,000,000 acres), were recommended by First Nations, forest companies, conservation groups, government, and communities. Boundaries may change as a result of stakeholder based planning, scheduled for completion in spring 2003. With more bears in the woods, there is an increasing chance of human-bear interactions. "Don't surprise a bear," says Andrea Hess, a volunteer with the American Bear Association. Black bears tend to be nervous and easily frightened, and they can cause injury if suddenly startled, cornered, or provoked. "Warn a bear you are coming by occasionally clapping or using bells," Hess says. "Use caution 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." She offers advice on what to do if you happen to meet a bear in the woods.
"Most injuries from black bears occur when people try to feed, pet, or crowd them. Bears will nip or cuff bad-mannered humans, as they will bad-mannered bears," Hess warns. To avoid attracting bears, securely store all odorous food and non-food items, Hess advises. Use plastic bags to seal in odors and store garbage inside buildings, and do not leave pet food outside. Use electric fences around hives, orchards, and compost piles. Attach spill pans to bird feeders and hang out of reach, at least 10 feet up. Clear away dense brush and protective cover from yards. Reassuringly, Hess says 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 than to be killed by a bear attack. The time to conserve bear populations is now, says TRAFFIC's Hoover. "Fortunately, because of the relative health of North America's bear populations, we have the opportunity to take action before there is indication of a crisis, such as an increase in poaching pressure. But action is clearly needed and this positive news should not dictate complacency." Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2002. All rights reserved. |
Black bear on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 2001. (Photo © 
Black bear, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee (Photo courtesy 
Kermode bear in the Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia (Photo courtesy 
Man teases a bear with food. This is what NOT to do. (Photo courtesy 