Bare facts about black bears

MILLBROOK — When you’re watching news of bear sightings on television, in places far removed from this area, seeing the adorable cubs cavorting and the mama bear being protective is fun. “How cute,” you may hear someone say. But when that same event takes place in your back yard, it may not seem cute at all. 

The average weight for a male black bear is around 300 lbs., but they often get larger than that and have been known to reach 600 lbs. Females are smaller, averaging 90 to 300 lbs. When there are cubs involved, she can be every bit as dangerous as the male.

In recent years, the sightings in the Hudson Valley area have become more frequent. This fall, there were reports of bears being killed by cars, in addition to the usual reports of bears getting into trash barrels, eating fruit off trees and playing in people’s backyards.

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies presented Getting Along with Our Bear Neighbors to an overflow audience of about 180 people on Friday, Dec. 8. The speaker was Rae Wynn-Grant, a conservation scientist at the Center for Biodiversity at the American Museum of Natural History.

The program opened with Joshua Ginsburg, president of the Cary Institute, introducing Wynn-Grant and mentioning that she had been one of his graduate students at Columbia University.

“She told me that she wanted to study the lion population in Africa. I told her the future was in bears.” She took his advice, and with several degrees under her belt, she now knows a lot about bears.

Her field work is done in Nevada, around Lake Tahoe. But as she pointed out, the black bears, or Ursa Americanus, are relatively the same wherever they are found. Nevada has a small population of black bears, with only about 400 to 500. 

One difference she pointed out was that black bears here are generally black or blackish; in other areas black bears can be very light, even blond or  cinnamon; the Glacier bear is gray; the Kermode bear is white. “Black bear” refers to the species, not the color.

She also dropped fascinating nuggets of information, such as that mothers give birth while hibernating; they sleep through the whole process and wake in the spring to find the cubs, who have been nursing while the mother slept. 

The average litter for cubs is one or two. They stay with the mother throughout the next year, even going into hibernation with her, but when they emerge from the second hibernation, the cubs take off on their own.

Wynn-Grant monitors the bear population, tagging them and keeping records to track the habits of the animals. She also collects blood, hair and DNA samples, all of which are done while the bear, who has been tranquilized, sleeps. She also gets their weight, checks for parasites and tattoos their bottom lip for identification purposes. In this way, the scientists are able to determine movement, habits, trends and other information.

Many of the stories about the bears getting into trouble are not unique to the bears she studies. They are stories we hear in the Hudson Valley and the Tri-state region. 

The bear population is on the rise, and so are the sightings that are reported. While they may be fascinating creatures, most people agree that they can be dangerous, and no one wants them in their yards.   

Bears eat almost anything. Wynn-Grant pointed out that they are carnivores at times. They will eat livestock and small animals, so cats and dogs shouldn’t be left out at night if there are bears in the neighborhood.

Leaving food outdoors for pets also attract bears. Bird feeders are among favorite sources of snacks; instead of foraging all day for seeds, they get one big helping from the feeders.

Always clean your outdoor cooking spaces thoroughly. Long after you’ve eaten and gone inside, the smells of food from a grill will catch a bear’s attention.

If you see a bear, report it to the proper authorities. Wynn-Grant builds large, humane traps for bears; once trapped, the bears are tranquilized while data is taken, and then they are relocated. In some states, the bears are taken far from their original place of capture, but they can usually find their way back. 

Wynn-Grant has two Russian Karelian bear dogs who chase the bears and nip at their heels. The experience is unpleasant for the bears, who have no natural predators, and it seems to keep them from returning to the same area. She feels that this “conditioning” is a better method than taking them far away, only to have them find their way back.

Bears, like all wild animals, must forage to eat; those who can’t find smaller animals, fruit trees or vegetables will raid garbage cans and dumpsters. This also causes a difference in their habits; Wynn-Grant pointed out that, because of changing habits as well as climate changes, some bears are hibernating later or not as long. Some don’t hibernate at all.

“Bears,” she pointed out, “want the same things we do: water, food and a place to sleep.” 

They are looking to fulfil their basic needs. Not leaving food around your property, bringing small domestic animals in at night and making sure garbage cans are tightly closed and locked, if possible, will go a long way toward keeping your property bear-free.