Jonathan Schechter at the Observer & Eccentric papers has a nice column related to the increasing number of bears moving into southern and even southeast Michigan.  Bear encounters in our region are still extremely rare.  And bear attacks, yesterday’s Ishpeming attack not withstanding, are extremely rare:

Wildlife biologist Julie Oakes of the Michigan DNR reminded me that several years ago a black bear was hit by a car on I-75 near Flint, another made it across I-69 and wandered about Lapeer County for awhile, and credible rumors of black bear surfaced earlier this year in Hadley Township on the Oakland County line. None of this should be surprising for black bears, especially younger males, have great wanderlust.

Bears are masters of opportunity, one the world’s most adaptable carnivores. Their reasoning ability, long-term memory, omnivorous food habits, dexterity, speed and strength coupled with their ability to travel unseen along bushy roadside edges and waterways means it is time for us to Be Bear Aware. Aware, not panicked, for most of the time bears avoids humans.

Oakes is correct when she states, “Black bears are not aggressive like grizzly bears, they will usually turn tail and run, if you make noises and scare them off.” Usually is a key word. There are well-documented accounts of defensive (protecting cubs) and predatory (they want you for dinner) black bear attacks (not in Michigan) and bear-human encounters are likely to increase.

To keep the situation in perspective look to the Great Smokey Mountains. Nine million visitors annually. Approximately 1,600 black bears. Eighth bear attacks in a decade. Two fatal predatory attacks. The fact of the matter remains clear: Aggressive encounters between people and black bears are extremely rare. But once bears associate people with food, they lose their instinctive fear of humans and conflicts are inevitable. In the colorful new DNR brochure, “Preventing Bear Problems in Michigan” they changing dynamics are noted, “Black bears may be found almost anywhere in Michigan, but are most likely to be seen in the northern two thirds of the state.” DNR tips to avoid problems include “Never feed bears” and “Keep garbage and odor at a minimum by removing trash.” Yet, jump to on-line bear hunting regulations of the same DNR and we find a different story for a different audience: bear hunters. Hunters may use the following products without quantity restrictions to lure in bears, “dog food, bakery/confectionery products including jams, jellies, sweeteners, candies, pie filling and yogurts…”

Full story:

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080831/NEWS27/808310484/1020/rss17

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