A problem that bears responsibility
Animal advocates often unfairly get accused of not caring about humans. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When it comes to black bears in Connecticut, wanting to protect them and the public is not mutually exclusive.
That’s why we are so alarmed that Rep. Karen Reddington-hughes and hunting apologists are exploiting an incident that happened in October involving a black bear and a 10-year-old Morris boy to justify legalizing a bear hunt. They are misleading the public into thinking slaughtering some bears would stop rising examples of habituation. But success in preventing bears from losing their wariness of people depends on changing human behavior.
Not to mention, CT DEEP already has a “nuisance” bear program. For instance, three “nuisance bears” were killed in Connecticut in 2020 for entering homes, along with four others for “problematic” behavior. (DEEP has not fulfilled our requests for data from 2021-2022.)
Reddington-hughes needs to know what bear experts know—bears come into conflict with people because we give them a reason to. Humans attract bears with an endless supply of high-calorie food, from bird feeders and unsecured trash to pet food left outside, chicken coops that don’t have electric fencing around them, and more. And then they think a bear deserves a death sentence for wandering through their yard.
There are more crucial details of the Morris police report, which was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. When police arrived on the scene, the bear was actively eating trash that had been dragged along the wood line on a separate occasion. Unfortunately, most people know that bears will eagerly take advantage of food sources but look away until one of those bear visits results in property damage or injury. By then the bears have learned there are no negative consequences, no longer see humans as a threat and are more likely to stand their ground or even approach.
You cannot manage for a random chance event, even in a scorchedearth approach—which hopefully nobody would advocate for, says Rich Beausoleil, bear specialist from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and co-chair, North American Bears Expert Team, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Bear Specialist Group. He explains that a hunt would be unlikely to target an individual(s) visiting residential areas, as shooting restrictions that close to dwellings are numerous.
“If I wanted my agency’s money and attention used in the best possible way to resolve the root cause of conflict over the long term, and not just put a band-aid on a bullet hole so to speak, it would be spending the time/energy/ resources in working with city and county officials on removing attractants on the landscape, modifying garbage contracts to mandate bear-resistant containers, implementing ordinances on feeding wildlife (including birds, deer, etc), and partnering on outreach/education programs. That, I am quite certain, would not only work, but would reduce the likelihood of this kind of thing from happening in the future by keeping the two species separated in their own habitats.”
We couldn’t agree more. That’s why Friends of Animals supports statewide legislation that includes a wildlife feeding ban and a conflict-reduction community grant program that provides money to communities for bear- resistant trash cans and electric fencing around chickens and beehives.
Of all the bear “conflict” reports from in 2022, 796 involved bird feeders;
1,234 involved trash cans, 146 involved livestock and 35 involved beehives. And most of the black bear home break-ins reported were bears responding to the scent of a food attractant, according to the reports obtained through a Freedom of Information request. The details of these reports matter. Fear-mongering headlines about bears entering homes don’t tell the whole story and that’s a disservice to bears and humans. People need to know that if they live where bears live, screened-in porches and open windows won’t prevent bears from smelling what’s on the menu at their house—they can smell food from more than two miles away.
Keeping bear-accessible windows closed and locked will keep bears out. And if you must leave a downstairs window open, install sturdy grates or bars. People like doors with lever handles because they’re stylish and easy to open. Bears only care about the easy-to-open part. It’s important to keep doors locked or replace lever handles with sturdy round knobs.
Some weird things can even attract bears. Formaldehyde smells like ants and bears love ants. So, anything insulated with a material made with formaldehyde, such as hot tub covers, bicycle and snowmobile seats, and refrigerators and freezers may attract bears. Lantern and propane stove fuel, as well as citronella and scented candles, are also attractive to bears.
We’re telling you all this because public education is critical in reversing the habituation trend. We can’t reiterate enough that a cruel, random bear hunt will never stop bears from being curious, opportunistic feeders.
Not to mention, who wants to live in a state that would needlessly kill bears because of their intelligence and resourcefulness?