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All Deterrents Articles
As the number of black bears in the US grows, largely due to protection measures taken over the past century, the chances of these animals interacting with humans increase as well. Wildlife authorities managing national parks, where this threat is most severe, turned to science to help them devise the best possible methods of keeping bears away from thrash cans, and therefore reducing the risks of violent encounters with humans. Details of the work appear in the January issue of the respected Journal of Wildlife Management, Wired reports.
The Bear Aware Program Delivery Specialist, Betty Offin, and Joanne Siderius, the program’s provincial supervisor, gave a presentation to city council on Dec. 18, detailing the program’s successes in 2009.
The provincial program aims to reduce human-bear conflicts.
In 2009, of the 10,303 black bear reports in B.C., 88 were made in the Castlegar area.
Offin said the numbers have been in sharp decline.
A fish-out-of-water story with a bit of a freshness issue, "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant as barely civil Manhattan marrieds who witness a murder, move to Wyoming and, naturally, rediscover love, liberty and the pursuit of sappiness. "Morgans" moves along predictably enough -- when Paul buys grizzly-bear repellent, the question isn't whether he will accidentally spray himself in the face, but how many times.
Bears are a part of the fabric of Whistler life and lore - to longtime locals, they're almost like stray dogs or squirrels. Admit it: we all love to tell tales of the majestic creatures we share this valley with (especially with anxious tourists).
But their comfort level with humans can have tragic results, and just because we're used to having these animals around doesn't mean we shouldn't have a healthy respect for the creatures. In fact, one local bear advocate believes we need to work at living in harmony with the black bears. So, she decided to publish a book on the topic.
Proposal would require permitted backcountry users in griz country to carry pepper spray.
Big game hunters are in a position to encounter bears and we must do our part to act responsibly for grizzly bear recovery. This means seeking out information from the agencies about hunting in grizzly country and carrying bear spray.
Two bowhunters from Columbia Falls fired pistols at a family group of bears early Sunday morning in the Great Bear Wilderness, but Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials were unable to locate any dead bears. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recommends that hunters carry pepper spray for self-defense. Bear sprays have proven effective for deterring bears in multiple encounters.
After wandering into a North St. Paul neighborhood, a black bear was shot and killed because "it attracted a lot of the public's attention and they (sic) weren't going to leave it alone," said Police Chief Tom Lauth. They couldn't tranquilize it
Living in Bear Country provides practical advice on minimizing problems with bears in the places that people live. It shows how a few simple adjustments to your daily routine can reduce the risk of property damage and human injury from bears.
This 27-minute program contains important information on how people can reduce their chance of encountering a polar bear and how to best respond if they do meet a bear.
Increasing amounts of residential development in North Carolina woods and an bear attractants means black bears are plentiful in Swannanoa Valley yards and picnic areas — and even cars.
A shortage of natural foods seems to mean increased human-bear conflcits in Northern Ontario this fall.
See how Whistler scored in terms of meeting the six criteria for becoming a BearSmart Community.
Jul 29, 2009 — Web Page: Research
In 2005, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, along with the B.C. Conservation Foundation, funded a project to investigate the efficacy of non-lethal bear management in Whistler, for application to other jurisdictions. Specifically, we investigated how bears responded to AC, a process of hitting bears with rubber bullets to make them more wary of humans and human developments.
Jun 16, 2009 — Web Page: Online Store
Bear Smart Stuff for Sale
Despite our best efforts to bear-proof our homes, businesses, communities and campsites, sometimes they show up anyways. When they do, there are several ways to warn you of their presence, keep them from receiving unwanted food rewards or actively teach them where they're not wanted
Staying Safe in Bear Country, Working in Bear Country and Living in Bear Country provide important information to help reduce human injuries and property damage from grizzly and black bears throughout North America while also reducing unnecessary bear deaths.
The black bear supplemental feeding program successfully deterred bears from damaging trees. In addition to Washington State and Oregon, ADCP pellets were used since 2003 in Asia, Prefecture of Gunma, and Japan (B. Kamiyama, Kiryu, Japan, personal communication). Forest managers in Croatia, Europe, produced their own pellets, using the ADCP formula, since 2002 (D. Huber, University of Zagreb, Croatia, personal communication). Supplemental feeding also stimulated an international discussion about the pros and cons of the program and the implications for forest management. All age classes and gender of bears, including female bears with cubs, fed on the pellets. Although large bears did not dominate feeding stations, they did mark and destroy some trees to attract females during the mating season in early summer. This behavior was not an economic problem and did not trigger control action. The supplemental feeding program had no influence on the home ranges of bears throughout the year, but it did during a 2.5- month period in the spring when supplemental food was provided. The ADCP had no reports of conflicts between bears and feeding personnel. The reproductive success among fed and nonfed bears was similar.
This is a comprehensive look at bear spray incidents that occurred in Alaska, USA, from 1985 to 2006. The authors analyzed 83 bear spray incidents involving brown bears (Ursus arctos; 61 cases, 74%), black bears (Ursus americanus; 20 cases, 24%), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus; 2 cases, 2%). Of the 72 cases where persons sprayed bears to defend themselves, red pepper spray stopped bears’ undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on brown bears, 90% for black bears, and 100% for polar bears. Bear spray represents an effective alternative to lethal force and should be considered as an option for personal safety for those recreating and working in bear country. (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 72(3):640–645; 2008)
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