DNR rules against Minnesota bear researcher

Steve Karnowski, Associated Press · Minneapolis · Sep 24, 2014

Lynn Rogers Derek Montgomery / For MPR News

The state Department of Natural Resources has affirmed its decision to deny a permit to for putting radio collars on black bears to a Minnesota researcher who has gained international attention for his work.

In a decision announced Wednesday, DNR administrator Kent Lokkesmoe backed an administrative law judge who ruled in May that the state agency had the authority to refuse to renew Lynn Rogers' permit for collaring the bears. The DNR had cited concerns about public safety and conduct by Rogers that it considered unprofessional, such as hand-feeding bears to gain their trust. The department also questioned the validity of his research.

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Scientists call for increased conservation efforts to save black bears

Date:

August 5, 2014

Source:

University of Missouri-Columbia

Summary:

To combat the decline of black bears and repopulate the mountainous region of the Central Interior Highlands (CIH), more than 250 bears from Minnesota and Manitoba were relocated to Arkansas in the 1950s and 1960s. Now, researchers have analyzed genetic diversity in black bears in the CIH and have determined that coordinated conservation management is still needed to maintain healthy populations of black bears in the region.

Read on ...

Row over celebrity bear researcher hots up

It’s safe to say that wildlife biologist Lynn Rogers gets along better with the black bears in Minnesota than with the humans in the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

Rogers, a popular bear researcher who has made numerous TV appearances, is engaged in quite a row with the department. At issue: should the department renew Rogers’ permit to study black bears?

In June, the department said “no.” But trying to come between Rogers and his bears is a bit like trying to come between a mother bear and her cubs. He took the agency to court, and late last month, the parties came to a temporary agreement. Rogers can keep radio collars on the ten research bears that have them now, but he can’t keep live-streaming video on the Internet from his internationally popular den cams.

His case will go back to court in six to nine months. Earlier this month, Rogers received a big boost from renowned chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall, who wrote to Minnesota governor Mark Dayton praising Rogers and saying that it would be “a scientific tragedy” if his research were ended now.

The department gave three reasons for not renewing Rogers’ permit: he hadn’t produced any peer-reviewed publications based on data collected over the past 14 years when he had a permit; his work was endangering the public; and he had engaged in unprofessional conduct.

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Black Bears Return to Missouri Indicates Healthy Forests

July 19, 2013 — For nearly a century, the only bears known to reside in Missouri were on the state flag or in captivity. Unregulated hunting and habitat loss had wiped out most black bears in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma by the 1920s. Now, thanks to a reintroduction program in Arkansas during the 50s and 60s, hundreds of bears amble through the forests of southern Missouri, according to a joint study by University of Missouri, Mississippi State University, and Missouri Department of Conservation biologists, who warn that although the bear population is still small, outdoor recreationists and homeowners should take precautions in the Ozark forest to avoid attracting bears.

"Black bears normally do not attack humans, but they will ransack picnic baskets, tear through garbage bags or even enter buildings looking for food," said Lori Eggert, associate professor of biological sciences in MU's College of Arts and Science. "Although some Missourians may be concerned, the return of black bears to Missouri is actually a good sign. It means parts of the state's forests are returning to a healthy biological balance after nearly two centuries of intensive logging and exploitation."

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Black Bears On the Rebound in Nevada

Mar. 29, 2013 — A new study from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) has pieced together the last 150 years of history for one of the state's most interesting denizens: the black bear.

The study, which looked at everything from historic newspaper articles to more recent scientific studies, indicates that black bears in Nevada were once distributed throughout the state but subsequently vanished in the early 1900s. Today, the bear population is increasing and rapidly reoccupying its former range due in part to the conservation and management efforts of NDOW and WCS.

Compelled in part by dramatic increases in human/bear conflicts and a 17-fold increase in bear mortalities due to collisions with vehicles reported between the early 1990s and mid- 2000s, WCS and NDOW began a 15-year study of black bears in Nevada that included a review of the animal's little-known history in the state.

Over the course of the study, black bears were captured both in the wild and at the urban interface in response to conflict complaints. The captured animals used in the study (adult males and females only) were evaluated for multiple physiological indicators including condition, sex, reproductive status, weight, and age, prior to being released. From the information gathered, the population size in the study area was estimated to be 262 bears (171 males, 91 females).

Confirmed sightings and points of capture from 1988 to present were mapped and presented in the report to illustrate current population demographics, and will be used to inform bear management in Nevada.

"It's critical to understand the population dynamics in a given area in order to make informed decisions regarding management," said WCS Conservation Scientist Jon Beckmann. "This includes decisions on everything from setting harvest limits to habitat management to conservation planning in areas where people will accept occupation by bears. We used this long-term study to determine if reported incidents were due to an increasing or expanding bear population, or people moving to where bears are located. The answer is both."

The study area extended from the Carson Range of the Sierra Nevada eastward to the Virginia Range and Pine Nut Mountains, and from Reno south to Topaz Lake -- an area collectively referred to as the Carson front. Because many captures were in response to conflicts, the urban interfaces of cities and towns of the Lake Tahoe Basin were included.

Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130329124331.htm

The birds and the bears: Big and small flock to backyard habitat

A young male black bear feeds at a bird feeder in the backyard of a house in southwest Loveland in this file photo. Area residents should not put out bird seed until mid-November, to avoid attracting bears that are currently trying to pack on the pounds. (Steve Stoner)

Black bears devour 20,000 calories per day this time of year, building up their body fat to survive through the winter in their dens.

Birds, too, must eat a lot during cold months to survive from day to day.

And both very different wildlife species, the big and the small, will feast on bird seed if it is out and available.

Bird lovers in the area create backyard habitats to support and attract their feathered friends -- a key element to helping birds live through Colorado's cold winter months.

But Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials, knowing how hungry bears will go after seed and nectar, urge residents to wait until after the first snow, when bears are inactive for the winter, or to at least take steps to prevent bears feasting in backyards.

Bears

More than 80 percent of human-bear conflicts can be traced back to a bear's first encounter with a bird feeder -- easily recognizable and reachable to the bear, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Seven pounds of bird seed contain 12,180 calories, or more than half of what a 100- to 400-pound bear must consume per day in October and early November, according to the Parks and Wildlife website.

Continued :  http://www.reporterherald.com/lifestyles/recreation/ci_21787052/birds-and-bears-big-and-small-flock-backyard

Bears Not Attracted to Menstruating Women

Despite campfire fears dating back to at least 1967, black bears and grizzly bears are not attracted to the odors of menstruation, according to a recent Yellowstone National Park report.

Polar bears may be interested in the smell of menstrual blood, the report found, but bears that roam in North America are not. Food is a much more important temptation for bears, according to the findings.

The idea that bears might preferentially attack menstruating women is not new. In 1967, a night of infamous grizzly bear attacks in Glacier National Park in Montana left two women dead. One woman was having her period, and the other was carrying tampons.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/22688-myth-bears-attack-menstruating-women.html

Black bears show counting skills on computers

Black bears have demonstrated counting abilities, in a first for the species.

Three captive bears took a series of number-based tests on a touch-screen computer, research published in the journal Animal Behaviour showed.

They had to choose between two different-sized sets of dots and were rewarded with food for correct answers.

"People don't generally understand them to be as intelligent as they probably are," said Jennifer Vonk, the researcher who led the study.

Although bears have the largest relative brain size of any carnivore, their cognition is not well understood.

Dr Vonk, an assistant professor in psychology at Oakland University said that the North American black bears were first trained to understand the process and equipment involved in the tests.

"This is the first published work with bears working on a touch screen," she said. "It hasn't been done with any large carnivores."

The experiment then involved presenting the bears with two sets of dots or "arrays".

"Basically we were looking to see if they can understand to choose less or choose more," she said.

They touched the screen to select one or other of the arrays, and were given food if they got the answer right.

One bear was rewarded for touching the screen with a greater number dots, and for the other two bears, a correct answer was an array with a fewer number of dots.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18447587

Bears Interrupt Weather Report At Pennsylvania TV Station

SCRANTON, Pa. -- A mama bear and three of her cubs were caught on camera at a northeastern Pennsylvania television station seconds before a live weather report was about to begin.

It happened during the 11 p.m. newscast Monday at WNEP-TV in Scranton. The station has a landscaped outdoor area it calls "the backyard" with trees and a water fountain for its weather segments.

Meteorologist Kurt Aaron said he heard something behind him and when he turned around, a black bear was 10 feet away. He said he ran inside and did his report from indoors while a camera continued to show the bear family exploring.

Videos:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/bears-weather-report_n_1449141.html?ref=weird-news

Clueless Texter Bumps Into a Bear

This week's Animal Oddity is a cautionary tale about obliviously texting while walking through town.

The man in the video below got the shock of his life when he looked up from his texting only to come face to face with a black bear that wandered into town. While his reaction is pretty funny, he's lucky he looked up when he did, otherwise he would have walked right into the bear.

Black bears normally avoid people and aren't particularly dangerous (unless people feed them and they associate us with a full belly and lose their natural fear). That said, they do occasionally make appearances in urban areas or escape captivity.

Trust me, having personally been bitten by a bear before, you don't want to run into one unannounced. Pay attention people, it's a jungle out there!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-mizejewski/texting-man-runs-into-bear_b_1415289.html?ref=weird-animals

World famous black bear Hope is believed killed

The bear "born on the internet" is believed to have been shot and killed by a hunter in Minnesota, US.

Hope was recognised internationally after her birth was filmed and broadcast live via a webcam in 2010.

The black bear and her mother Lily were subjects of a study by US biologist Dr Lynn Rogers and featured in the BBC documentary The Bear Family and Me.

Recreational hunting is permitted by licence in the state but hunters are asked not to shoot collared bears.

Dr Rogers and his colleagues at the Wildlife Research Institute were tracking 13 bears, each wearing identifying collars.
Using the GPS tracker in Hope's mother Lily's collar, the researchers confirmed her visits to a known hunter's bait site, but they could not account for the rest of the family.

The biologists have been working with the Minnesota Department for Natural Resources (DNR) who licence hunting in the state.

Read more ...

By Ella Davies Reporter, BBC Nature

Minnesota man mistakes bear for mosquito (via D R Shoop)

Melrude, Minn. (AP) - A 20-year-old Melrude man says he recently came face-to-face with a large black bear, which sniffed his cheek and snorted at him before wandering away.

Mason Cavanaugh was at a cabin last month on Dinham Lake. He was sitting on the porch when he felt what he thought was yet another pesky mosquito on the back of his neck.

He slapped at the offender and felt something wet and furry. He turned to see the bear rearing up on its hind legs. He was so stunned that he didn't budge.

The bear stood for about 10 seconds before walking over to investigate some nearby bird feeders. Then it came back and sniffed Cavanaugh's face, as he remained motionless.

A Duluth News Tribune report says it eventually ambled away.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/01/mason-cavanaugh-mist
akes-mosquito-for-bear/

Fast Asleep to Wide Awake: Hibernating Bears, Predation and Pregnancy

ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2011) — Black bears hibernate, sleeping their way through winter, and who can blame them? But science is only just beginning to understand the physiological changes that allow bears to re-emerge in spring without much muscle and bone loss, and how they escape from danger during the colder months. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Physiology used cardiac monitors and radio collars to measure the year round changes in heart rate and activity of wild black bears.
Previous studies have shown that during hibernation black bears undergo extreme variations in heart rate (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) -- the bear's heart rate increases when it takes a breath but stops for extended periods between breaths. In this study the researchers were able to monitor wild American black bears (Ursus americanus) throughout the year, 24 hours a day. They found that the bears had a pronounced respiratory sinus arrhythmia during hibernation and in the months leading up to their winter sleep. In addition, the bears were less active during the day in autumn, switching to being nocturnal. During the summer months, bears were active for up to 18 hours per day and had peak heart rates of over 200 beats per minute, however, during hibernation, respiration rates were as low as two breaths per minute and gaps of over 14 seconds without a heartbeat were recorded.

Pregnant wild bears hibernated deeply at the beginning of winter but their heart rates increased as their pregnancy continued, spiking during birth. After the cubs were born their mother's heart rate returned to hibernation levels. For several weeks after giving birth the mothers also exhibited much less movement, preventing accidental damage to the suckling cubs.

Dr Timothy Laske, one of the team who performed the research said, "When we retrieved our data, even though we tried to be as quiet as possible, the bears' heart rates increased before we reached the entrance to their winter den and remained elevated for a number of days. This confirms that despite apparent deep sleep, bears are always alert to danger and ready to act."

Dr David Garshelis who collaborated on this project continued, "Using this technology, year-round monitoring of wild bears allows us to observe details of bear behavior, such as pregnancy and birth, or interactions between bears and other wild animals, without disturbing their natural behavior." Dr Laske added, "Black bears often make their way into suburban areas which can be dangerous and stressful for both bears and humans and understanding the silent effect of humans and the environment on bears will also allow better bear management."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817022136.htm

Black bear, Florida bicyclist collide

PANAMA CITY, Florida - A Panama City man is recovering after colliding with a black bear while riding his bike to work.

John Hearn said he saw something out of the corner of his eye early Thursday morning. The nearly 300-pound bear smacked him off his bicycle and then fled into some nearby woods. Passing motorists stopped to help Hearn, who sustained minor injuries. The back tire of his bike was also ripped off. Hearn, who bikes to work at Tyndall Air Force Base a few times a week, said he still plans to bike to work.

Meanwhile, Florida's top expert on black bears calls the whole incident extremely unusual.

David Telesco, the state's Black Bear Management Program coordinator, says there are scores of vehicle crashes with bears in Florida every year, but collisions with people are very rare.


"Vehicle strikes are unfortunately somewhat common. In a typical year we get about 150, but actually hitting a person is very rare. The only incident I know of with an accident like that was in Ft. Myers in 2009. A bear ran into a woman who was outside of her place of business. It's just very rare to occur like that."

Bears may pose a danger to people if they stumble upon the animal's food or babies, but Telesco says unprovoked bear attacks have not been reported in Florida.

"We have never had an unprovoked or predatory attack on a person. People have been hurt by bears. Unfortunately it's situations where the bear is defending food or its young, but we've had people feeding bears and they've been swatted."

Florida's black bear population is estimated around 3,000. Increasing development has increased the odds that people will cross the paths of bears. They are large and powerful, but typically shy.

Telesco says one of the best ways to minimize contact with them is to make sure you don't have any trash lying around your yard.

"The number one thing that attracts bears is garbage and if the garbage is not available for bears to access, they have no reason to hang around our neighborhoods."
http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/200596/19/Black-bear-Florida-bicyclist-collide

Bear killed B.C. native elder, coroner confirms

Autopsy results have confirmed that a bear attack killed a well-known elder in the Xaxli'p First Nation whose remains were found last week near Lillooet, B.C.

After Bernice Evelyn Adolph had been reported missing, police dogs found her remains on Thursday near her remote property about 175 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.

There was evidence that Adolph, 72, had been partially consumed by bears, but before the autopsy, police were not sure how she died.

"After reviewing the autopsy results, evidence from the scene, and expertise and information provided by conservation officers, the B.C. Coroners Service was able to confirm a bear attack as the cause of her death," spokesman Mark Coleman said in a release on Tuesday.

Coleman said no decision about an inquest had been made.

Tried to enter house
Conservation officers killed four bears Sunday that matched the description of the animal that had fed on the woman.

Samples from the bears were sent to Edmonton for DNA testing to determine which bears were involved in the attack.

Adolph had complained to conservation authorities about bears on her property.

Investigators found evidence that bears had tried to enter her house.

While contact between black bears and humans is common, even in Metro Vancouver, the animals tend to fear humans and fatal attacks are rare.

Two people have died in black bear attacks in B.C. since 2000

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/07/05/bc-woman-bear-autopsy.html

Black bear sighted on UNC's Finley golf course

By Mark Schultz
Staff writer
Posted: Monday, May. 23, 2011

State and local officials have responded to a black bear sighting at UNC's Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill on Monday.

The bear was sighted on the third hole by golfers who called 911, said Chapel Hill police spokesman Lt. Kevin Gunter. State wildlife officials, Orange County Animal Control and campus police have been sent to the scene.

Last week, there were bear sightings Wednesday in Garner, Thursday in Raleigh and Saturday in Cary.

It’s unclear whether the sightings in Wake County were all of the same bear, though a state wildlife biologist said the sightings in Garner and Raleigh were likely of the same animal.

Biologist Greg Batts said the bear was likely a juvenile who accidentally wandered into the area while looking for a new home.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/05/23/2319412/black-bear-sighted-on-uncs-finley.html

Mystery surrounds black bear tracks, scratches (via Chad Arment)

Chris Potter

GateHouse News Service

Hornell, N.Y. — There are still many mysteries about black bears, contends Professor John VanNiel and his Black Bear Management I class at Finger Lakes Community College.

VanNiel and his students are currently investigating a mysterious aspect of bruin behavior – bears that appear to deliberately retread their tracks along a predetermined trail, leaving deep impressions in the earth. A high density of scratched and bitten trees often accompanies these routes.

The phenomenon has been documented in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. VanNiel and company are asking the general public for help finding similar occurrences in New York state.

“I think some people are reluctant to ask the public (for help) because there’s always the chance for misidentification or who knows what, but I have confidence in people,” VanNiel said. “I’ve met enough savvy outdoorsmen that maybe don’t have the college degree but still have a lot of woodcraft knowledge and could really be a lot of help in this.”

The project was born in July, when VanNiel and conservation technician Sasha MacKenzie journeyed to central Massachusetts to assist researchers at the Walnut Hill Tracking and Nature Center. It was there that they witnessed the phenomenon first hand.

“We had gone there to work with a couple people who have been studying these (retread tracks) for about seven years,” recalled VanNiel, a professor of environmental conservation and horticulture at FLCC. “They took us to one and we stumbled upon another one in the process. It was really interesting. They’re hard to describe… until you’ve actually seen it and seen that these bears are literally using the exact same footsteps over and over again. It’s not the same as tracks in the mud or in the snow. These are just really beaten down into the earth.”

Intrigued, VanNiel and MacKenzie returned home to find that there was precious little scientific research regarding black bears carefully retracing their steps in the manner they had just observed in Massachusetts. They decided to involve the class in the project.

“This class is what’s called project-based learning,” VanNiel said. “We do the class around a real-life project. That’s always the trick, trying to find something that 100 people haven’t already done before.

“(The students) have done everything from look through peer-reviewed literature like journals and field guides, to actually talking to bear biologists throughout the country. There are definitely people that have seen (the retread trails), but there’s no consensus on what the purpose of them are.”

For their part, Nick and Valerie Wisniewski, the researchers at Walnut Hill in Massachusetts, believe the re-treaded tracks are an element of black bear breeding behavior, and refer to the tracks as “ritual trails.”

VanNiel isn’t so sure, instead subscribing to the theory that the phenomenon may be related to territorial markings — the black bears’ own version of a “No Trespassing” sign.

“The (tracks) that we saw in Massachusetts were all associated with bite trees and heavily scratched trees,” VanNiel pointed out. “There were sign-posts along the way, in a sense. It wasn’t like this trail led from a bedding area to a feeding area. It would lead from scratched tree to scratched tree. I really think it has to do with territorial marking.

“We were walking along following the retread trail, and then we came upon a red pine that was heavily scratched on all four sides. Right at that spot is where the trail took a 90 degree turn. It was almost as if the scratch posts were markers or sign-posts literally along the trail.”

Canandaigua native Sara York, a student in the class, offered more possibilities.

“It could be a way of leaving a scent, which in turn ties into claiming the territory,” said York, a double major in Environmental Studies and Natural Resource Conservation. “Some say the same trail is reused through generations as well, which then brings on more questions. Are young cubs taught this or do they do it naturally? For how many generations does this carry on? Is it just males? Is it just females? There are so many (possible) reasons behind it. We just don’t know yet.”

York and her classmates are hoping outdoorsmen can help shed some light on the issue this fall. VanNiel points to the data found in the states along New York’s eastern border as evidence that the phenomenon could occur in the Empire State as well.

“There really should be no reason why we couldn’t find them here, except that I think they’re a little bit density-dependent,” VanNiel said. “When you have a high population of bucks, you end up with lots more rubs and scrapes, not just because there’s more bucks but because each individual buck is making more signs. They have to because of the competition. I think that these bear signs are somewhat density-dependent, also.”

VanNiel’s father owns property in Wayland. He and his dad took some time on the opening day of archery season to scour the woods for any sign of bear. They turned up a bitten tree, but no retread tracks.

VanNiel is hoping hunters all over the state will keep a sharp lookout this fall.

“I’m going to be out there walking around and in my tree stand the next couple months,” he said. “Our hope is (to) involve more eyes out there.”

Citizens are encouraged to send clear, close-up photos of the markings or trails along with their name, home address, telephone numbers, e-mail address and a detailed description of where the photo was taken to VanNiel at bears@flcc.edu

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/mysource/home_and_garden/x1385880209/Mystery-surrounds-black-bear-tracks-scratches