Certain behavioural, ecological, morphological, and physiological differences between grizzly/brown bears and black bears a re related to the different habitats favored by each species. It is suggested that care of black bear cubs and hence reproductive success for black bears is tied to the forest biome, and that the grizzly/brown bear in branching out from the forest onto non-treed a reas suc...

We examined the reasons bears are reported killed in defense of life or property (DLP) in Alaska as an index to causes and frequency of conflicts between humans and bears, and compared the sex and age composition of DLP kills with that of sport-killed bears. Data came from standardized questionnaires filled out by persons shooting the bears. Numbers of sport-killed brown bears (Ursus arctos) an...

This study evaluated the effectiveness of emetic compounds (lithium chloride and cupric sulfate) in honey baits as a technique for preventing black bear damage in fenced beeyards. LiCl and CuSO4 in honey baits did not reduce black bear damage at beeyards. Our experience indicates that LiCl is not a suitable emetic for producing taste aversions in free-ranging black bears.

We evaluated the potential of two noninvasive genetic sampling methods, hair traps and bear rub surveys, to estimate population abundance and trend of grizzly (Ursus arctos) and black bear (U. americanus) populations in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Using Huggins closed population mark-recapture models, we obtained the first precise abundance estimates for grizzly bears (N= 73.5, 95% CI...

The Asiatic black bear is one of the most endangered mammals in South Korea owing to population declines resulting from human exploitation and habitat fragmentation. To restore the black bear population in South Korea, 27 bear cubs from North Korea and Russian Far East (Primorsky Krai) were imported and released into Jirisan National Park, a reservoir of the largest wild population in South Kor...

A total of 35 presumably distinct biochemical loci were analyzed in black bears (Ursus americanus) from Alaska, California, Maine, Montana, Tennessee, and Virginia by using starch-gel electrophoresis. Limited spatial subdivision of gene frequency was observed in Tennessee. Overall heterozygosity levels are lower in black bears than would generally be expected for mammalian species. Levels of in...

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Historically, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) has supported a small black bear (Ursus americanus) population of low productivity. Increased visitor use of the park and development around its periphery could lead to a reduction in population viability of RMNP’s bear population or could increase the potential for human–bear conflict. Therefore, we investigated contemporary survival and produc...