Research
Human-Wildlife Conflict
Human-wildlife conflict is an issue across the globe, wherever humans and wildlife have overlapping requirements for food and space. Black bears are one of two species of bears in the world that are not listed as either vulnerable or endangered by the IUCN, and are not a conservation concern in British Columbia. They are, however, protected at the southernmost portions of their current range, in Florida, Louisiana, and Mexico.
Why study human-bear conflict in Whistler?
While black bears are not threatened in BC, most managing agencies recognize that responsible wildlife management is not solely reserved for species in danger of extirpation or extinction, when it is often too late or very difficult to recover populations. Human-bear conflict is also very costly economically, and has human safety concerns. The general public, particularly near resort communities such as Whistler, has less tolerance for lethal management, and managing agencies are increasingly interested in non-lethal alternative solutions to human-bear conflict.
Attractant availability is one of the most important factors in the success of any aversive conditioning (AC) program to modify bear behaviour. The Whistler Black Bear Working Group, a multi stakeholder group working to address human-bear conflict in Whistler, has undertaken significant steps in helping the municipality achieve Bear Smart Community status, including: conducting a bear hazard assessment, passing Bear Smart bylaws, funding ongoing bear education programs, purchasing bear-proof pedestrian garbage bins throughout the Village, and removing landscaped vegetation that is attractive to bears.
Bear Research in Whistler
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. Using theories of how mammals learn, we made several innovations to traditional AC techniques, including firing marbles from a slingshot and we incorporated a sound cue (a whistle) for some AC-treated bears. Our rationale was that if the bears could associate the whistle with pain stimuli, any one with a whistle would have a tool to deter a bear from a conflict situation if a Conservation Officer was not immediately available. This could make AC more effective and help prevent food-conditioning.
From 2005 to 2009, we have so far ear-tagged over 40 male and 20 female black bears, and radio-collared more than 20 black bears in Whistler, including about 10 animals collared with GPS collars set to an hourly fix rate.
Aversive Conditioning
We put 15 bears through 3-5 day aversive conditioning programs, where we closely monitored the bears' movement and behaviour, and compared bears post-AC wariness to pre-AC wariness, and controls to AC-treated bears. We are also analyzing how GPS-collared bears use cover and developed areas relative to treatment (AC vs. controls) and time (pre-treatment vs. post-treatment).
Conditioned Taste Aversion
We are using thiabendazole (TBZ), an anthelminthic with nausea-inducing properties to induce taste aversions in bears to specific attractants that are difficult to secure and can cause conflicts between bears and humans. TBZ is showing lots of promise as a useful emetic after two field seasons and treating nine bears.
Results
We expect to publish our results in the fall of 2009 in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and have presented preliminary results in poster format to the International Bear Association in Monterrey, Mexico in 2007, and the Wildlife Society in Edmonton, Alberta in 2009, as well as in a presentation at the Western Black Bear Workshop in Reno, Nevada in 2009.
Funding
We received funding for our project from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, the B.C. Conservation Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, Mountain Equipment Co-op, TD Canada Trust Friends of the Environment, Shell Canada Envirofund, ZipTrek Ecotours, Carney's Waste Systems, Whistler Paintball Adventures and Bee-Maid Honey.
Reports
Click here to read the full report about the 2006 results from the Whistler Aversive Conditioning and Monitoring program. Download the full report for 2005 here.
