Improve Understanding of Bears
Improve Understanding of Bears are valuable considerations to avoid humans conflict with bears from our knowledgeable Ellie Lamb. August 3rd, 2020
Hi Friends,
Recent and on going events around bears inspired me to make a few notes to help in our understanding of bears. Here we go…
A commonly used phrase in describing bears is, “…they are dangerous because they have lost their fear of people”. In my experience, this thought misrepresents the natural behaviours of a bear. Bears, unless we made them fearful, were never fearful to begin with.
Improve Understanding of Bears Consideration 1
As a whole, bears are willing to get along with us but our respect is what they need. By “respect” I mean, securing attractants, electric fencing, sending them out of areas we do not want them in a fair way they understand. We need a general knowledge of their true nature and intentions, and of course stop allowing for these animals to be killed for no reason which is what we are seeing Officials do on an on going basis.
In respecting bears we teach them how to be good neighbours, and we will finally get off the ineffective, and highly unethical cycle of continually replacing killed bears with live bears only to eventually join their dead brothers. Bears have been misunderstood to the detriment of their survival. We cannot continue to kill our way through this. Bears are ready for fair treatment and understanding and we as a society are ready to give it to them.
Improve Understanding of Bears Consideration 2
Most bears come into our communities for food, but most important to them they come into our communities for social reasons. They are seeking out safety in amongst humans. The threat to them are large male bears who are living outside our communities. These older bears are more cautious, and are capable of bringing harm to smaller bears and their families. This is why it’s the vulnerable population of bears such as mothers and cubs and teenage bears that we see enter our communities.
Improve Understanding of Bears Consideration 3
Understanding these animals in a truthful way helps to live peacefully with each other, humans and bears, and certainly it’s critically important to understand them if we consider it our right to make decisions on their lives.
I have found the use and implementation of “fear” in the relationship between bears and humans encourages misunderstanding and breaks down the trust that exists naturally between human and bears. Co-existence is difficult if not impossible without trust.
Truth is “…a safe forest is a forest where bears have no fear of people, but only respect.”
Go out and connect with nature.
Ellie
Follow Ellie on FaceBook for more tips and considerations about being and keeping the bears safe.
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