For the purposes of these pages I have scoured the web for reliable black bear information. The information is out there, but it is scattered far and wide. And a lot of it is repetitive from site to site, which is a turn off for the average reader.

My effort has been to tie the important information together in a quick reference format, so that the information is easier to find, and also easier to remember.

One thing I learned upfront in my research is that most of the information from our parks system is filtered through dense pages of legalese -- the singular aim of which is to protect the parks from visitor liability. The result is that factual bear information takes a backseat to *WARNINGS* and *CAUTIONS* about the perils of getting too close to bears. This legalistic approach is misleading at best, and fear-mongering at worst. And it fosters the exact same fears about bears that all those demonizing magazine covers have done since the mid-1940's.

Definitely we need to keep a healthy distance between ourselves and bears, but not because they will likely injure or kill us, but because bears need that space to remain wild and unencumbered by human influence. Tourists to National Parks in bear country need to be more properly educated about bears and about how they can help conserve and protect these amazing forest dwellers. In the process people will learn to respect them for what they are -- wild animals that can, indeed, be unpredictable at times.

Warnings and cautions about bears just don't work. People tend to ignore them. There is a psychology to signage and warnings, and it relates to the age of the sign reader, their educational level, and even their ethnic origin. Good grief, people ignore dire TRAFFIC WARNINGS! The bigger the sign, the more likely it will be ignored.

In the case of visitors to national parks, they come to the park with varying levels of wisdom and maturity, and nationality, all of which are reflected in their behavior towards the wildlife they encounter. The only effective way to stop the least mature from interacting with bears is to prohibit them (and everyone) from getting out of our vehicles while we are in the park -- that, and following up the prohibitions with park expulsion.

Humans are frail and they do dumb things out of ignorance and immaturity. My essay, Animals: why can't we just do the right thing? speaks to a growing awareness that we are not an animal friendly society. Don't be lulled into thinking that you are I are in the majority, we are not.

So arm yourself with the facts and be sure that YOU, at least, do the right thing when it comes to bears. Your behavior will model for others how to best interact with them, which is to not interact with them at all.

LET THEM BE WILD!

-- Dr. Ellen