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Responding to Human Black Bear Conflicts

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Responding to Human Black Bear Conflicts Responding to Human-Bear Conflict A guide to non-lethal management techniques Acknowledgements Steve Searles for introducing me to non-lethal bear management and for continuing to inspire me. Dan LeGrandeur for his early work with non-lethal techniques and his training sessions that have helped to get non-lethal techniques into the hands of CO’s and other officers. Whistler RCMP members and Squamish District Conservation Officers who were the first in BC to support and implement a non-lethal bear management program. The BC Conservation Officer Service for recognizing the usefulness of non-lethal bear management and supporting this project, as well as other BC Ministry of Environment staff for their support, direction, and review of the report. Reviewers: Carrie Hunt (MSc), Wayne McCrory (RPBio), Dr. Stephen Herrero, Hal Morrison, Dan LeGrandeur, Dr. John Beecham, Ainslie Willock, Dr. Josef Hamr, Lori Homstol and Dr. Lynn Rogers who took their time to review the document in whole or in part at various stages and provide essential feedback. Ben Kilham for his enlightened approach and contribution to the behavioural science of bears. His hands- on work rehabilitating cubs in the wild has provided him with a unique opportunity to study bears, their behaviour and their relationships with other bears and people. He has learned how to read behaviour, understand it and when possible apply it to manipulate inappropriate bear behaviour in the field. Carrie Hunt (MSc) for 30 years of dedicated hands-on work with bears, bear managers and the general public throughout North America, developing non-lethal methods for dealing with conflicts. Lori Homstol for her persevering dedication and support of Whistler’s Bear Aversion Program. To all the researchers and wildlife managers who have used non-lethal techniques since the 1960’s and contributed to its development. Vancouver Foundation, Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and Summerlee Foundation for supporting the Get Bear Smart Society financially over the years in promoting the use of non-lethal bear management tactics. Importantly, in gratitude to all the residents of Whistler for their endless support, openness and cooperation in making our community bear safe. And, lastly to the Whistler’s bears that inspire me every day to learn more about them, enjoy their presence and honour their contribution to making Whistler such a special place to live, work and play in. Prepared by Get Bear Smart Society, 2015 Responding to Human-Bear Conflict A guide to non-lethal management techniques In memory of S/Sgt. Hilton Haider This guide is dedicated to the memory of S/Sgt. Hilton Haider of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in sincere appreciation for his contribution towards the implementation of non-lethal alternatives in managing human-bear conflicts in Whistler. His passion for bears assisted him in making an enormous difference and a significant contribution. He will be fondly remembered for his generous spirit and open minded nature. The community of Whistler will always be indebted to S/Sgt. Haider for his passion and love of these majestic animals. Hilton was truly a great man and the Get Bear Smart Society is proud that his legacy will live on with this guide. 1950 - 2007 Prepared by Get Bear Smart Society, 2015 Responding to Human-Bear Conflict A guide to non-lethal management techniques Proviso The information in this booklet is based on the advice and knowledge of specialists with thousands of hours of behavioural observation of bears and extensive experience managing bear and human interactions and conflicts. However, no one may be sure what any particular bear will do in any particular situation. For this reason, readers of this manual interact with bears at their own risk. The Get Bear Smart Society and its contributing writers accept no liability for use or application of the information contained therein. A word of caution: Grizzlies are inherently more risky to work with than black bears, therefore we recommend extreme safety precautions (as noted in red throughout the manual). The two bear species have evolved different strategies for survival. Black bears have evolved to live in forests and thus are more likely to retreat to safe cover when threatened. On the other hand, grizzlies have adapted to life in treeless, open environments; with no place to retreat to, they are more likely to defend themselves when threatened. In addition, the information in this manual is intended only for developed areas, where bears are entering human territory. The wilderness constitutes the bear’s backyard or territory and therefore, bear encounters in the wilderness require a completely different approach (see Appendix 15.3 or visit ww.bearsmart.com). © Get Bear Smart Society, 2007 (Revised 2015) Written and compiled by: Sylvia Dolson based on contributions by Carrie Hunt, Dan LeGrandeur, Ben Kilham, Lori Homstol and Catherine Sherlock. Illustrations: Evelyn Kirkaldy Photographs: Sylvia Dolson Prepared by Get Bear Smart Society, 2015 Table of Contents Overview ..............................................................................................................................1 1 Glossary .......................................................................................................................2 2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................5 3 Bear Ecology ................................................................................................................6 3.1 Bear Species .........................................................................................................6 3.2 Distinguishing Black and Grizzly Bears ..............................................................6 3.3 Range and Distribution ........................................................................................8 3.4 Habitat ..................................................................................................................9 3.5 Diet .......................................................................................................................9 3.6 Senses ...................................................................................................................9 3.7 Denning ............................................................................................................10 3.8 Reproduction ....................................................................................................10 3.9 Strength and Mobility ........................................................................................11 3.10 Intelligence and Learning ..................................................................................11 4 Why Human-Bear Conflicts Occur ............................................................................12 4.1 Why Bears Enter Areas of Human Development ..............................................12 4.2 Creating Human-Bear Conflicts ........................................................................13 4.3 Human Habituation/Tolerance and Food Conditioning .....................................13 5 Traditional Management Techniques ........................................................................15 5.1 Capture Techniques ...........................................................................................15 5.2 Relocation and Translocation ............................................................................17 5.3 Destruction .........................................................................................................18 6 The First Step: Understanding Bear Behaviour .........................................................21 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................21 6.2 Interpreting Black Bear Communication ..........................................................22 7 Aversion Techniques .................................................................................................27 7.1 The Development of Aversion Techniques .......................................................27 7.2 The Theory behind Aversion Techniques ..........................................................28 7.3 The Limitations and Benefits of Aversion Techniques .....................................32 8 The Toolbox: Aversion Techniques...........................................................................35 8.1 The Public’s Role ...............................................................................................35 8.2 Crowd Control ...................................................................................................35 8.3 Human Dominance Techniques (HDT) .............................................................35 8.4 Noise Deterrents.................................................................................................39 8.5 Physical Deterrents ............................................................................................41 8.6 On-site Release ..................................................................................................44 8.7 Bear Dogs...........................................................................................................45 8.8 Passive Conditioning .........................................................................................46 9 Field Application .......................................................................................................50
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