NOTE: This section is geared toward professional wildlife managers. It is not intended for the general public.

Aversive conditioning of black bears has been used as an effective management tool to resolve human-bear conflicts since the early 1970s. It was first developed and applied in the national parks of Canada and the United States. Over time, this traditional technique has evolved into bear aversion, combining improved methodologies and tools with proactive bear management strategies.

Non-lethal Bear Managment uses negative conditioning to modify undesirable bear behaviour in an attempt to avoid the destruction of animals. Utilizing human dominance, by demonstrating the body posture and vocalizations that speak the language of the bear, officers can command the bear's respect and reinstate its natural wariness for humans. Non-lethal tools, such as rubber bullets, pyrotechnics and bear pepper spray, are used to reinforce the message. This type of conditioning makes use of the bear's ability to learn from negative and positive experiences - whenever a bear exhibits undesirable behaviour, a negative experience is delivered to the animal. Thus, the bear learns to associate undesirable behaviour with a negative experience, and will be more likely to avoid conflict in the future.

Urban wildlife can be taught that certain behaviours are unwanted and will not be tolerated by people. The non-lethal bear management program re-establishes human territory and boundaries which bears must be taught to respect - this is a trait that they have lost over time through poor management strategies and a generally submissive reaction by humans.

We have baited bears with a food reward into human settlement areas and then punished them with death for accepting an easy meal. Communities need to decide their level of tolerance toward bears and establish a clear set of rules - when the bear crosses the line, it must be taught to respect these rules through negative conditioning.

Through non-lethal bear management, bears learn to stay away from people and their property. This approach capitalizes on the bear's innate tendency to avoid conflict and fit into the natural dominance hierarchy. The bear is not physically hurt; instead, it is presented with a psychological experience which serves to reinforce its respect for humans and avoid conflict situations.

The advantages of negative conditioning tools over the more traditional methods of relocation and destruction become apparent when we find that it is possible to avoid the removal of bears, limit individual displacement and offer the potential for the elimination of nuisance behaviour, rather than having it passed on from generation to generation.

This approach has met with huge success in areas like Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite National Park, CA, and Whistler, BC, where the number of human-bear conflicts has dropped significantly. As a result, there has been a notable reduction in the number of bears being destroyed and considerably fewer resources are required to deal with problem situations.

Currently, aversive conditioning techniques are being used as part of bear management programs in many areas including Alberta, British Columbia (Manning Provincial Park, Whistler, North and West Vancouver), Ontario, California, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Maryland. National parks in both Canada and the United States have used ingestives, as well as noise and physical deterrents on bears.

Destruction of a bear can never be the answer. By removing a "problem" bear, we are merely creating an opportunity for another bear to move into the newly available habitat niche. Consequently, the problem is not solved, and wildlife officials commit to a perpetual cycle of removal, public outrage and negative press. It is imperative to keep an open mind and make room for new alternatives. There are benefits to be drawn from such a healthy attitude - once a community has invested in 'training' the resident bear population to a manageable level, only occasional retraining/reminders are required.

We can save bear lives, create positive public relations and improve safety for people living and recreating in bear country. Most importantly, we can create an environment in which people and bears can coexist in harmony! Communities can choose to be porous to bear activity, so that bears pass through but are not tempted to stop and get into trouble with people and non-natural attractants.

However, it must be stressed that non-lethal bear management should be seen as an aid, not a substitute for preventive measures that eliminate or reduce the potential for human-bear conflicts. In our struggle to conserve the lives of bears, preventative actions must prevail as the primary focus of any bear management strategy, while the use of repellents and deterrents should be considered a second line of defence against bear problems.

Contact us for a copy of Responding to Human- Black Bear Conflicts:
A guide to non-lethal management techniques.