The bear whisperer

> Wildlife biologist Ben Kilham has been a long-term advocate for the welfare of these furry creatures in the wild

has corrupted their behavior.

“Squirty takes in real information,” he says. Bears “learn first-hand information and experience,” he says.

“Humans, we are all over the place. The quality of information as soon as the word came out became disruptive. There is air in almost everything we read. It is especially prevalent today with the internet and fake news.”

Kilham says he is fascinated by the impact of language on human behavior, especially since he discovered – at age 40 – that he was dyslexic.

Dyslexia lay at the heart of his difficulties at school and, for a long time prevented him from pursuing graduate studies in wildlife that he had dreamt of since childhood.

He grew up surrounded by animals collected by his virologist father. He studied birds and for a while the family even kept a baby crocodile, brought back from a year in Uganda, in a shower in the basement.

After working as a gunsmith, Kilham’s dream took off when the department of fish and game – tipped off to his interest by a biologist friend – entrusted him with the first bear cubs, opening the way to the first bear rehab centre in New Hampshire.

Twenty-five years later, Kilham has released 165 bears back into the wild and documented more than 1,500 bear interactions in nature.

His work led recently to a PhD in environmental sciences, not bad for someone not great at school, whose work has been looked down on by the scientific community.

He has enjoyed quite the following nonetheless, thanks to articles in National Geographic and the popularity of his book, Among the Bears, which came out in 2002.

His commitment is to raising awareness about bears, still feared and hunted in the United States. Around 10-15 per cent of New Hampshire’s 5,000 to 6,000 bears are killed every year in hunting season.

“Bears are not interested in people. Zero,” he says. “They are afraid of us.”

Despite advice to the contrary everywhere, people still leave food out or fail to secure chicken coops, attracting an animal that needs to fatten up before hibernation and again in early spring. In human-bear situations, the bear is always the loser.

“We can live very easily with bears, it’s a matter of educating the public,” says Kilham. “Unfortunately educating the public is like herding cats. They don’t take in information very well.” – AFP-Relaxnews