The State of Nevada continues to maintain one of the lowest Black Bear populations in the West, yet State officials are considering to continue the hunting of this precious species. We are fighting to protect the remaining population of these threatened bears.
The increased number of accidental bear interactions with people - especially during the summer months when more tourists are present - tend create a climate of fear and misunderstanding which lead to violent incidents and unnecessary killings. Locals who are used to living around bears tend to be more mindful of addressing typical bear attractors such as open trash receptacles and unlocked windows and doors, whereas visitors inadvertently attract bears by being less conscious of the importance of these security measures. Bears are very intelligent and adaptive and will forage where there is food, often in campgrounds, parks and cabins. Responsible people learn ways to avoid this, which in turn leaves the curious and otherwise nonthreatening bears unharmed.
Also likely fueling the issue is pressure from hunters eager for the thrill of the 'sport' as well as lucrative opportunities to sell bear products such as gall bladder bile and paws on the Black Market. For this reason, hunters and poachers desperately grasp for reasons to convince the State that culling the bear population is necessary.
'Hunting the bears is not the way to solve the issue of human-bear incidents,' says Big Wildlife Director Spencer Lennard, 'since killing them simply increases conflicts by stressing the remaining population. Trophy hunters tend to go for the largest of the animals, which removes the older individuals therefore leaving a weak and vulnerable population less able to defend themselves and effectively reproduce. This causes long-term destruction of bear populations which are vital to our ecosystem.'
A harmonic relationship between bears and humans is possible, if we simply educate our communities in preparedness for potential bear encounters while preserving the natural cycles of the population by eliminating the senseless and prevalent killing by careless hunters.
