Black Bears
Black bears are one of the smartest and most persistent scavengers.
Black bears will consume anything with a scent, like bugs, berries, and other plants—but it can also include trash, coolers, and other non-natural foods. Non-natural foods, combined with black bear persistence, can lead to conflicts with humans.
Bear Smart Communities
To help black bears and keep people safe, we’re working with communities to proactively prevent conflicts.
Looking for more on preventing conflicts with black bears?
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Conflict Prevention Tools
To prevent conflicts with black bears, we focus on keeping them out of garbage, backyard attractants, and other non-natural foods with a variety of tools.
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Electric Fencing for Bear Deterrence
We’ve created a digital manual covering how to use electric fencing to deter bears, featuring two video series—one on building a new permanent fence, and the other on modifying an existing fence.
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Research and Manuals
We’ve put together a guide of best practices, compiled a literature reference, and more to share our knowledge on applying conflict prevention methods and tools for bears.
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Bear Safety Flyers and Kits
We’ve created a suite of kits and handouts to make sharing conflict-prevention and safety information with targeted audiences easier.
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Spanish Spoken Bear Safety Video
This video covers the bear safety basics for those who work, live, and recreate in bear country, featuring Spanish narration and English subtitles.
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BearSmart.com
BearSmart.com (operated by People and Carnivores) hosts a library of information and resources on community-wide human-bear conflict reduction efforts.