What Other Animals Live With Black Bears

Have you seen a bear? Written report a acquit sighting here.

Black bears roamed all of Tennessee at 1 fourth dimension. After European settlement the numbers started dropping.

Thanks to conservation and management efforts from all the Southeast states involved with the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA), black bears are making a dramatic improvement in the Southeast.

As bears aggrandize into areas with suitable habitat, it is important for communities to learn how to coexist with them.

We accept listed here information and links that will become you started learning more nigh the bears in Tennessee.

ou can larn how to determine if the acquit is sick, injured or orphaned, how to keep your property prophylactic and more.

The TWRA would similar your assistance in tracking the recolonization of the blackness bear into Tennessee. Follow the link beneath to file a study if you see a bear.

This form is for reporting a sighting only. You CANNOT utilise this grade to report a sick or injured bear.

Please employ ourcontact us page to discover your regional part if yous need help with a sick or injured behave.

What does a healthy behave look similar?

An example of a healthy black bear that is 1 that is able to eat and motion normally in a natural environment.   Bears in Tennessee  and the southeast are primarily black with a long, directly, brown snout merely in other parts of the country bears tin be blackness, brown and white.  A healthy male person Tennessee black conduct can be betwixt 4-vii feet long and weigh every bit much as 500 lbs!

A bear that is exhibiting injuries or beliefs that would limit its ability to forage, climb trees or escape danger would be considered injured and warrants a phone call to TWRA.  A bear that has been struck by a vehicle BUT is able to leave WITHOUT obvious distress or a bear with a simple limp would not exist considered injured.

To larn even more than nearly bears visit, bearwise.org.

Credit: Usa Fish and Wildlife Service

Sick, Injured or Orphaned Bears

Just if the mother is confirmed to be dead or the cub remains lone for more 36 hours and its estimated weight is less than 30 pounds should the TWRA be contacted. The all-time situation for a cub is to exist with its female parent! Therefore, please document when the cub is first observed alone and only contact later on 36 hours!

A deport that is exhibiting injuries or behavior that would limit its ability to forage, climb trees or escape danger would be considered injured and warrants a call to TWRA.  A bear that has been struck past a vehicle Only is able to leave WITHOUT obvious distress or a bear with a simple limp would not be considered injured.

What does an orphaned cub wait similar?

TAKE Notation!!! A bear cub that is simply solitary may non be orphaned! The mother may be nearby but could be unseen for a while. An orphaned cub will be alone and is likely missing patches of fur one top of its head between the ears. While it may not be visible from a altitude, they normally have scaly skin that often contains abscesses and their gums are pale from anemia as parasites are removing nutrition from their blood.

Coexisting With Bears

What is human-bear conflict?

Examples of man-comport conflicts include:

• A comport that has attacked or is stalking a human being
• A behave that is unfearful of humans or has caused property impairment
• A deport that has entered a vehicle, dwelling, or inhabited edifice
• A bear that is habituated to non-natural foods
• A deport that does not leave an area when humans are present

YOUR Responsibility for Blackness Bears!

Blackness bears are one of Tennessee's country treasures and no other brute exemplifies the wilderness feel like them.

They have been called a charismatic mega-creature and for good reason – everyone from non-hunters, to hunters, to wild fauna watchers - we all beloved bears in our own special means. For these reasons, it is everyone'due south responsibleness to continue them wild and keep them live.

The historic period-old adages: GARBAGE KILLS BEARS and A FED Acquit IS A Dead Deport could non be truer. Nationwide bear management feel has clearly shown that bears attracted to man food sources, or that are deliberately fed past humans, have a relatively brusk life.

The survival rate of bears receiving food from people is likely a fraction of that of wild bears that do non have repeated contact with humans. The deliberate and accidental feeding of bears is socially irresponsible and causes animals to become conditioned and habituated to people.

Bears that habituate to human presence eventually become a threat to homo safety. The end result is that such bears are often killed by intolerant and/or fearful landowners or have to be destroyed by the TWRA.

The main corrective activeness to this management dilemma is to simply restrict the access bears have to man foods. However, state and federal agencies accept confronted significant challenges in bringing about even moderate changes to human behavior to achieve greater safety for humans and bears.

Tennessee residents and visitors can support bears by taking steps to ensure that wild bears remain "wild" by carefully managing sources of human food or garbage that might concenter bears.

The wise stewardship of habitat we share with bears is the joint responsibleness of both wildlife managers and the public and will be essential for a viable future for our state treasure, the black bears of Tennessee. Encountering Black Bears

To learn about what to exercise when encountering a bear while Hiking and Camping visit, bearwise.org.

THINGS TO KNOW:

• While black bears are usually tolerant of humans, they should e'er be treated every bit wild fauna, whether in residential or backcountry areas.
• Black bears are rarely ambitious towards people and typically get out of their style to avoid contact, still equally human being evolution continues and bear numbers increment, occasional interactions will be unavoidable.
• Black bears are extremely powerful animals whose behaviors tin be unpredictable.
• Black bears are very curious animals and this should not be dislocated with aggression.
• Startled bears will oftentimes face intruders by turning sideways to announced larger, make woofing and teeth clacking sounds, salivate, lay their ears back and slap the ground with their paws. These are warnings for you to leave the area.
• Bears will frequently stand up on their hind legs to become a ameliorate view or a amend sense of hearing and smell.

Following these simple guidelines will minimize many unnecessary and potentially dangerous encounters.

• Never feed or approach bears!
• If a bear approaches you in the wild, information technology is probably trying to assess your presence.
• If you run across a black behave from a distance, alter your road of travel, return the way y'all came, or look until it leaves the area.
• Make your presence known by yelling and shouting at the deport in an attempt to scare it away.
• If approached by a carry, stand up your ground, raise your arms to announced larger, yell and throw rocks or sticks until information technology leaves the area.
• When camping in deport country, keep all food stored in a vehicle and abroad from tents.
• Never run from a black deport! This volition often trigger its natural instinct to chase.
• If a black bear attacks, fight back aggressively and exercise not play dead! Use pepper spray, sticks, rocks, or anything you tin can find to defend yourself. If cornered or threatened, bears may slap the footing, "pop" their jaws or "huff" as a warning. If you see these behaviors, y'all are likewise close! Slowly back abroad while facing the bear at all times.

Notify the TWRA immediately if you lot witness aggressive behavior by black bears!

Notice the appropriate TWRA office to contact in your area by clicking here.

Black Bears in Town

As comport and man populations increase and more people move near public lands and bear inhabited areas, deport-homo interactions are increasing creating potentially dangerous situations. To acquire more virtually circumstantial with bears, go to the Carry Wise Website. You tin likewise help prevent safety concerns by following these Comport Wise Nuts:

• Never feed or approach bears.
• Do not store food, garbage or other recyclables in areas accessible to bears.
• Do not feed birds or other wild fauna where bears are active.
• Feed outdoor pets a portion size they will completely consume during each meal and securely store pet foods.
• Continue grills and smokers clean and stored in a secure expanse when not in use.
• Talk to family unit and neighbors when comport activeness is occurring in your area.

What to do if a comport approaches you lot in town:

• Bears will virtually always observe an escape road if they are left alone.
• Shout and throw sticks or rocks in the vicinity of bear to encourage flight once an escape route has been established.
• Females with cubs will often climb a tree to for escape encompass; never surroundings a tree holding whatever acquit, peculiarly a female with cubs!
• Locate and remove the lure that caused the bear to come up into your expanse. There is about always a safety escape route when bears enter towns. Crowd control is the initial concern equally the behavior of a cornered bear tin be unpredictable. Immediately report to the TWRA or local police force any sightings of bears within areas of human population centers.

Local and State laws for reducing behave-human conflicts

As it stands, other than hunting over baited areas, there are no statewide laws against the intentional or unintentional feeding of wildlife including bears.

How to Bear Proof Your Belongings

Only feed pets a portion that will be completely consumed during each meal and securely store pet foods!!!

Do not feed birds or other wild animals where bears are active.

Photo Credit: Appalachian Bear Rescue

Do not shop nutrient, garbage or recyclables in areas accessible to bears.

Go on grills and smokers clean and stored in a secure area when not in use.

Black Bear Biological science and Natural History

Black acquit (Ursus Americanus) historically ranged throughout Tennessee and nearly of North America.

Native Americans utilized bears not only for meat and fat, just also for their heavy hides. The first explorers and settlers in Tennessee similarly harvested bears. Yet, settlers also feared bears and saw them as a threat to livestock and human prophylactic. The healthy bear populations that ranged from the bottomlands of W Tennessee to the mountains of Due east Tennessee began a slow decline soon after settlers arrived. Extreme changes in Tennessee'due south habitat along with unregulated hunting eliminated comport populations from all but eleven mountainous counties (Eiler et al. 1989, Kennedy 1991, Pelton 2001, 2003).

The creation of the Swell Smoky Mountain National Park and the Cherokee National Forest in the 1930's protected populations and is undeniably the greatest factor for saving bears in Tennessee. In improver, laws were created with the establishment of the Tennessee Game and Fish Commission in 1949. All the same, past the mid 1960's, bear harvest information reflected diminishing bear populations.

Recovery of Black Bear in Tennessee

The 1970'due south marked the beginning of Tennessee's modern era. The Tennessee Game and Fish Committee closed the acquit hunting flavor from 1970 through 1972 with hope that the population would rebound.  When the season resumed in 1973, merely 16 bears were harvested; 14 of which were killed on the Tellico Wild animals Management Surface area. Even with the hunting season closure, information technology was obvious that more extensive management was needed. A written report from the 1974 Eastern Workshop on Black Bear Management reported black acquit remained in only ten counties.

With the realization that the conduct population was a shared resource with the states of North Carolina and Georgia, a multi-state collaboration was needed. This resulted in the formation of the Tri-State Black Bear Study in 1976 (Effigy ii). From this written report a committee was developed to create a venue to share management and research information among government and research institutions. Decisions made by this group played a pivotal part in the regional carry management success nosotros realize today. The Tri-State Black Bear Study Group, now known as the Southern Appalachian Black Conduct Study Group, has added three states (Kentucky, Southward Carolina and Virginia) and continues to meet biannually to share and discuss regional conduct issues.

The early work of the Tri-State Blackness Acquit Study Grouping defined two primary problems in need of resolve. Both became a priority for TWRA over the next four decades.

The offset included the need to reduce illegal kills. TWRA Wild fauna officers spent, and still spend, endless hours working bear enforcement. The largest undercover behave hunting sting in North America took identify in the 1980'southward. Called Performance Smokey, it resulted in the arrest of 43 individuals in Tennessee, Georgia and Due north Carolina, with a combined 130 country and federal violations involving the poaching and selling of bear parts. These efforts have continued and resulted in a steady reject in poaching.

The 2d issue defined by the Tri-Country Blackness Carry Study was to protect the female person segment of the carry populations. Because females hibernate earlier than males, this was accomplished simply past moving hunting season afterward in the yr. This slight modify in hunting strategy reduced the percent of females harvested from 56% earlier 1981 to 37% over the side by side 23 years.

Every bit populations have continued to respond positively, the agency has provided opportunities for before hunting seasons resulting in females making up approximately 40% of the harvest over the last eight years. Farther protection of females was accomplished by the establishment of deport sanctuaries, which provided source populations of breeding females in areas with quality acquit habitat, suitable for raising young. In addition, no conduct hunting, dog grooming or raccoon hunting is allowed in the reserves during bear seasons. Including the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (241,000 acres) where hunting is prohibited, the reserves contain a full of 450,413 acres in Tennessee.

Physical Description

Black behave in Tennessee are primarily black with a straight, brown snout. All the same other colour phases including brown, cinnamon and rust have been noted in the Eastern United States. White patches on the chest tin can besides be present.

Adult bears tin exist three feet alpine at the shoulder and half dozen feet in length. Black bears vary greatly in weight, depending on food availability and time of yr. Weights range between 125 to 600 pounds for adults. Females are generally smaller. The back end of a black bear is ordinarily taller than the front end and black bears exercise not have a hump at the shoulder, similar their cousin the grizzly deport.

Blackness bears take average eyesight, fantastic hearing and an amazing sense of odour. Thought to be one of the all-time noses in the animal kingdom, their smell is 100 times greater than our own and seven times greater than a bloodhound.

Although cumbersome looking, bears are bully swimmers and capable of running at outburst of 30 miles an hr. Black bear are very dexterous and potent. They have been seen unscrewing lids of jars and hands fierce open metal containers to reach food.

Black bears are considered crepuscular animals. That is, they are most active at dawn and dusk; although they can be active whatever time in areas where humans are less common. Bears bed down on the hottest of days, in cooler safe locations. Good for you, normal bears avert humans and areas around human dwellings.

Denning

Black bears use a multifariousness of places to den including hollow copse, under boulders, tree roots and fallen copse. Occurrences of denning in shallow depressions accept also been documented. Denning starts as early as Nov and ends every bit tardily every bit May. Females tend to begin hibernation before than males. In years of loftier mast production, bears tin can enter dens later. Bears practise not eat, urinate or defecate during hibernation. They also reduce their eye rate and breathing.

Feeding

Although listed as a carnivore, black bears are primarily omnivorous feeding on seasonally abundant foods. Deport diets include berries, fruits, nuts, insects, roots, grasses, small rodents, bird eggs and feces. Acorns comprise much of and are a significant food source in the late flavour diet of black bears in Tennessee. Bears, like many other wild animals, are opportunistic and look for effortless calories. They easily become habituated to human food.

Reproduction

Both male and female bears reach sexual maturity around iii and a one-half years of age. Mating occurs in late bound to early summer and cubs are more often than not born in January. Female bears typically practise embryonic diapause, or delayed implantation of a fertilized egg. This allows females to extend gestation until they are in prime concrete condition. Implantation mostly occurs in the fall with immature born in January or February.

Cubs weigh just ounces at nativity, and they're built-in blind without fur. They grow apace in the den and tin weigh over v pounds upon spring emergence. Bears give birth to betwixt one to five cubs, with two being the norm. Litters are produced every other year. Cubs stay with their mother for the first season and spend a 2nd winter with her. Upon emergence in the second bound, mother bears drive offspring abroad. Immature females don't go far, frequently establishing territories that overlap with their mother's. Nevertheless young males move further away to establish territories.

Signs and Tracks

Because blackness comport are larger creatures, tracks and signs are often distinguishable.

• Tracks: The front end foot of a blackness comport can measure from just under 4 inches to over eight inches long. The rear rails can measure from five to virtually nine inches long. Acquit claws are long and always tend to register in their tracks. Black bears are plantigrade, meaning they walk on the entire pes.
• Black carry scat: varies profoundly depending on seasonal diet. Sometimes mistaken for horse manure, it is large in size. Dissimilar equus caballus manure, deport scat can reveal a diet consisting of various nuts, seeds, berries and grasses.
• Black bears bed: in varied terrain throughout Tennessee, but they tend to use dumbo cover and thicker vegetation. They sometimes congenital next to good climbing trees. Beds are round or oval and during colder months might comprise materials such as leaves and branches which provide protection from the common cold ground.
• Black bears den: in a multifariousness of places including under root systems, caves, stone outcrops, dense thickets and tree hollows. They've also been known to utilize areas under porches, decks and culverts. Natural den site entrances vary greatly, but are oft betwixt 18 to 24 inches.
• Black conduct aroma post, rubs, hook or seize with teeth signs: include a variety of tree species and sometimes fifty-fifty manmade structures such as telephone poles. Opposite to some behavior, they are not signs of aggressiveness in bears, merely merely means of communication. These signs are oftentimes located near bedding and feeding locations. Sign posts note the territory, mating status and overall health of a bear.
• Food Cache: Black bears tin can kill other animals for food, if the opportunity arises. They will also feed on feces. If the meal isn't consumed in whole, bears most often encompass it with available, surrounding materials such as grass or leaves. Black bears sometimes pull bawl off of trees to achieve or find nutrient. Stumps pulled apart, logs or rocks flipped over and excavation can bear witness signs of bears foraging for food.

Where To Find Bears In Tennessee

2005 Bait Station Surveys

Blackness Deport Bait Station Survey was conducted during the month of July 2005 in 12 E Tennessee counties by 31 TWRA personnel. A total of 27 areas were surveyed that consisted of 408 bait sites. Bears visited 235 bait sites that deemed for a visitation rate of 57.6%. This was a turn down of approximately v% from the previous year. Of the 27 areas surveyed, 59% (n=16) showed declines in visitation rates. Furthermore, all counties reported declines in visitation rates except for Blount.

2006 Bait Station Surveys

Black Bear Bait Station Survey was conducted during the month of July in 12 East Tennessee counties by 28 TWRA personnel. A total of 28 areas were surveyed that consisted of 424 bait sites. Bears visited 267 allurement sites that accounted for a visitation rate of 63%. This was an increase of approximately 5% from the previous twelvemonth. Of the 28 areas surveyed, 64% (n=18) showed an increase in visitation rate. Furthermore, all counties except Carter, Polk, and Washington reported increases in visitation rates.

2007 Bait Station Surveys

Black Behave Bait Station Survey was conducted during the month of July in 11 east Tennessee counties by 28 Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency personnel, interns, and volunteers. A full of 28 areas were surveyed that consisted of 418 allurement sites. Bears visited 301 bait sites that deemed for a visitation rate of 72%. This was an increment of nine% from the previous year. Of the 28 areas surveyed, 71% (n=20) showed an increase in visitation charge per unit. Furthermore, all counties except Monroe and Unicoi reported increases in visitation rates.

2008 Bait Station Surveys

Black Deport Bait Station Survey was conducted during the month of July in xi east Tennessee counties by 26 Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency personnel, interns, and volunteers. A total of 29 areas were surveyed that consisted of 435 bait sites. Bears visited 243 bait sites that deemed for a visitation charge per unit of 56%. This was a subtract of sixteen% from the previous year. Of the 29 areas surveyed, 59% (north=17) showed a subtract in visitation rate. Furthermore, all counties except Unicoi and Washington reported decreases in visitation rates.

2009 Bait Station Surveys

Black Acquit Bait Station Survey was conducted during the calendar month of July in 11 eastward Tennessee counties by >25 Tennessee Wild fauna Resources Agency personnel, interns, and volunteers. A total of 29 areas were surveyed that consisted of 423 allurement sites. Bears visited 280 allurement sites that accounted for a visitation charge per unit of 70%. This was an increase of 14.1% from the previous yr but like to 2007. Of the 29 areas surveyed, 55% (n=16) showed an increase in visitation rate. Furthermore, all counties except Sullivan and Unicoi reported increases in visitation rates.

Black Conduct Population Management

RANGE

Tennessee has two main black deport populations: the Appalachian Population along the Tennessee-North Carolina border and the Cumberland Population in the northern part of the Cumberland Plateau along the Tennessee-Kentucky edge. Considering black bears are very mobile and travel across state lines, we not simply manage a Tennessee black deport population, just a shared population with many neighboring states. Collectively, this interstate population is known as the Southeastern Black Bear Population, and is shared with Kentucky, Due north Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.

DISTRIBUTION

Bear populations in Tennessee are growing, and re-colonization of former range continues.

This map shows the electric current distribution (annual and seasonal) of blackness bears in Tennessee.

Long-term Occupied is defined equally areas where at that place have been sustainable populations of black bears for many years. Sightings can be expected during any fourth dimension of the year.

Recently Re-established is defined as areas where populations take been re-established within historical range and sustainable populations take become, or are expected to get established in the short-term. Evidence of reproduction has been documented. Seasonal/Transitional is defined equally areas where bear sightings tin can be expected during the leap or late summer when bears are roaming in the search of nutrient or institution of home ranges. Proximity of an surface area to long-term occupied or recently re-established populations impacts frequency of these sightings.

Infrequent Transient is defined as areas where random bear sightings may occur at whatever given time. Sightings are not related to proximity to long-term occupied or recently re-established populations.

Inquiry

As blackness bear populations dwindled into the mid-twentieth century, enquiry and recovery efforts were initiated with hopes of restoring populations. A black bear study in the Bang-up Smoky Mountains National Park began in 1969 as a cooperative endeavor with the Academy of Tennessee and is the longest ongoing black bear study in the U.S.

This research coincided with the cosmos of the Tri-State Blackness Deport Report Grouping betwixt Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia in 1976.

The early piece of work of this group identified two primary problems: ane) Enforcement of game laws to reduce illegal kills and 2) Protection of the female segment of the population. Over the adjacent four decades these ii goals were made a priority of the TWRA as well.

The TWRA strives to reach these goals by:

1. Wild animals officers spent, and all the same spend, countless hours working acquit enforcement. In 1988, Functioning Smoky resulted in the abort of 43 individuals in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina who were charged with 130 land and federal violations involving the poaching and selling of bear parts.
2. Protection of females during hunting season was accomplished relatively easily past identifying that females typically begin hibernation before than males and by simply scheduling hunts afterward in the season. This elementary change in hunting strategy reduced the percentage of females in the harvest from 56% before 1981 to 37% over the adjacent 23 years. As populations have continued to respond positively, TWRA has provided opportunities for earlier seasons resulting in females making upward approximately 40% of the harvest over the last 8 years. Additional protection of females was realized past the establishment of behave reserves with the purpose of establishing a source population of breeding females that would be protected from hunting. In improver to no bear hunting, no dog training or raccoon hunting is immune in the reserves during bear seasons. Including the GSMNP (241,000 acres) where hunting is prohibited, at that place are a total of 450,413 acres of behave sanctuaries in Tennessee.

POPULATION Estimate

Monitoring of a large carnivore tin can be extremely time consuming and expensive. Traditionally, the Bureau has used bait stations to monitor trends. Unfortunately, sensitivity to population changes will diminish with this alphabetize as visits accomplish high percentages on an annual basis.

Nearly recently, TWRA has utilized population reconstruction to estimate population trends. This chart supports evidence that the carry population in Tennessee continues to grow.

In order to minimize biases associated with population models, TWRA uses multiple harvest descriptors to guess the comport population including molar collection and numbers of male person and female bears harvested.

The success of this method revolves around molar collection and TWRA encourages hunters to collect and submit equally many bear teeth as possible. In 2013, TWRA personnel collected teeth from over 25% of harvested bears. Not sure how to collect the right tooth? Sentry this video to learn how! https://youtu.be/gbq3P2AlY6I

In areas not open to hunting, bait stations, sightings, route kills, and depredation permits are utilized to monitor population trends.

Often Asked Questions

On several occasions I accept seen a bear around my house. Is this normal?

In many areas of Tennessee, it is fairly mutual to bears near man dwellings during the jump and summer months. This time of yr natural foods may be express and bears could exist looking for an piece of cake meal. Bears have an incredible sense of smell and are likely being lured by some type of food attractant. These attractants typically include garbage, pet food, and birdfeeders. The best thing to do is identify the attractant and remove the source. Bears will motion on after realizing there is no food to exist obtained.

What can I practice to if I have a comport getting into my garbage and making a mess of my thou?

The get-go thing to realize is that the bear is simply going after an easy meal. Almost all of these types of bug can exist eliminated by merely removing the attractant. Store garbage in a closed construction and put information technology out the morning time of garbage pickup, not the night before. This way, garbage does not sit down out overnight and lure bears into your area. Problems may be further addressed by purchasing or constructing a bear-resistant garbage container.

Are blackness bears dangerous?

Black bears are normally very elusive and shy animals… and unless they accept go accustomed to human food sources, they tend to avert people. Bears are very curious animals, notwithstanding, and this should not be mistaken for aggression. Prevent whatsoever conflicts by treating bears with respect every bit they are wild fauna whose behaviors can exist unpredictable.

What should I do if I run into a acquit at close range?

The first rule is that y'all want to make your presence known by yelling and shouting at the deport in an attempt to scare information technology away. If a bear is reluctant to leave then keep to throw rocks or other objects at the acquit while continuing to yell. Portray yourself as the ascendant animal and do not back down. If a bear is close plenty that you feel uncomfortable, slowly back away, continuing to yell while watching the bear at all times. Never run from a black bear as this may trigger a natural response to hunt.

If a black bear is approaching me, should I throw information technology food and run?

No!  Throwing food will likely only chemical compound the problem and running from a black behave volition likely trigger a natural instinct to chase.  In improver, bears are extremely powerful animals that run at speeds of upwards to 35 miles per hour in short distances. Make your presence known by yelling at the bear and slowly dorsum away without turning your back.  In the event of an attack, fight back using everything in your power - including fists, sticks, rocks, or any other debris.  Exercise non play dead!

What is so wrong with feeding bears?

Despite what some people remember, black bears do not naturally occur in trashcans or a person'southward backyard in the eye of boondocks.  Animals exhibiting those behaviors are doing so because they have either been fed or accept learned to feed on improperly stored garbage or pet food.  When bears are intentionally fed, they learn to associate people with food and lose their natural fright of humans.

The home range of black bears can exceed eighty square miles.  If yous feed a acquit in your backyard, that animal is eventually going to leave and may travel to a firm 10 or 20 miles abroad.  The carry will again await to be fed… because you accept taught it to associate people with food.  At that point, the safety of other people becomes a concern because they may accept absolutely no interest in having a deport in their yard. Fifty-fifty worse, their new "problem" is of absolutely no fault of their own but they are left to deal with the consequences.

If I take a comport getting into garbage in my neighborhood, wouldn't the simplest thing exist to just trap the bear and move information technology someplace else?

While relocation is an option to the firsthand outcome, it volition not solve the underlying problem.  Unless garbage is properly stored, another acquit will move in and the problem will get-go all over once more.  In addition, black bears have an incredible homing instinct and can travel amazing distances in relatively brusque periods of time.  Research has shown that fifty-fifty bears that take been trapped and moved x, xx even 55 air miles away tin can yet find their style home.  Ultimately, relocating bears is not an effective long-term management tool.  Instead, the proper storage of human being-related foods and never feeding bears is the primal.

Why is information technology that nuisance complaints always seem to rise in April and peak in the summer?

Black bears den for the winter months and typically emerge in late March or early April.  When they emerge from dens, natural foods are scarce and oft bears are lured by the olfactory property of human being-related foods.

Nuisance reports elevation in June and July for ii reasons.  Number i, that is the convenance season for bears and males are traveling great distances in search of females.  In doing and so, they accept increased opportunities to meet human dwellings.  Secondly, yearling bears are now on their own trying to establish a suitable home range.  In their travels, immature bears may also be lured by the smell of human being foods.

What should I practice if I see someone feeding a bear?

Feeding bears is absolutely the worst thing that people can do to ensure a carry's decease.  Fed bears lose their natural fearfulness of people and get habituated to humans.  Consequently, habituated bears alive shorter lives than "wild" bears equally they tend to die by vehicle collision or poaching past spending so much time around human being dwellings.  In addition, people who feed bears are teaching those animals to associate people with food.  Would you want a behave like that coming around your business firm?

Source: https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/mammals/large/black-bears.html

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