Black Bear Attacks Not so Common
Preventing Human-Animal Conflict in Black Bear Country
As black bears leave their dens, the chance of human-animal conflict increases. Despite increasing encounters black bear attacks are not common.
As spring arrives, black bears (Ursus americanus) will begin to leave their dens in search of food. Despite their reputation as dangerous and aggressive, black bears are by nature reticent. They avoid contact with humans when aware of their presence. But attacks do occasionally happen.
Some facts about black bear attacks:
- In 2006 only one person was killed by any bear (brown, black or polar) in all of the United States and Canada.
- On average , 45 people per year are killed by dogs in the United States alone
- In New Jersey, where 901 complaints about black bears were registered in 2006, only one involved a bear attack, which wasn't fatal.
With poor vision and limited hearing, bears rely heavily on their sense of smell. If a person is moving quietly downwind of a bear, the animal may be unaware of their presence until they are in very close range. On suddenly seeing the person, the bear may charge. Most often this will be a bluff charge, a startled animal attempting to protect itself. In most cases a noisy, bold response will send the bear on its way.
Hunting by humans has kept black bear populations low. In five states, black bears are listed under the Endangered Species Act. They are considered Endangered in Mississippi and Threatened in Louisiana, Texas, South Dakota and Florida.
But in states where black bears aren't hunted, their populations are increasing. As are the human populations in bear habitat. Many of the people moving out to the country come from urban environments where the sensationalized stories of attacks are their most common exposure to bears. Just seeing a bear causes fear.
The most common reason for increased interaction between bears and humans is careless storage of food and waste. Because bears rely heavily on their sense of smell to find food, trash cans or outdoor grills and the like, with their strong odors, draw them to human habitation. If they are successful foraging this way, they will return, and often get bolder. Although they are largely vegetarian, preferring fruits, nuts and leaves they also eat insects, larvae, reptiles and small mammals. The varied human diet suits them quite well. Keeping food and trash indoors goes a long way to preventing problems with bears.
