Black Bear
· Black Bear Habitat
· Black Bear Food
· Black Bear Behaviour
· Conservation status
· Black Bear Attacks
· Black Bear Hunting
· Black Bear Facts

Black Bear Conservation status

Black bear conservation status – History

Since the black bear was first encountered by the European settlers on the North American continent it has been seen as a vermin and a dangerous threat. Therefore the rule of thumb has been for a very long time to shoot any black bear on sight, kill or be killed. This became particularly true as the settlements expanded more and more into bear territory. During a long period, which actually did not end that long ago, there was actually a bounty available for those that could prove that they had shot and killed a black bear, usually by bringing the killed bear into town.

Black bear conservation status – Today

Today the black bear might not be considered as much of a threat that it once was and it is actually legally protected in the USA. Some national parks have been created especially as black bear habitats and there are severe punishments involved with disturbing them on purpose or killing them. Nevertheless there are still people that illegally hunt black bears as a macho ritual and since the Asian market will pay a lot of money for the gall bladder, paws and fur. The black bear conservation status is of least concern meaning that some money goes into keeping track of the population but nothing is done to affect it.

Black bear conservation status – Problems

The greatest problem with black bears is that they tend to follow their stomachs instead of staying inside the safe national parks set up for them. Many bears have found their way into suburban territories and found it very convenient to raid trashcans every evening for a snack. A lot has been done trying to scare the bears away, even firing rubber bullets upon them, but the solution is only temporary. The bear community seems to enjoy the comfort that human civilization can offer and probably it is man that have to adapt to the bears and not the other way around.