UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Pennsylvania's bruin population is burgeoning and bear-human problems are being exacerbated by people moving into bear country, according to a wildlife expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Bear-human problems also are caused by bears moving into human habitat, as the bear population has increased and the animals have adapted to living on the edges of civilization, observes Gary San Julian, a professor of wildlife resources who specializes in dealing with wildlife damage.

"It is just another symptom of urban sprawl that is occurring in Pennsylvania, especially in the Poconos and the southeast portion of the state," he says. "More and more people have moved into previously wild areas that used to be bear country. And bears, being such an adaptable species, increasingly are adjusting to living close to humans."

But some of those adjustments, according to San Julian, are causing trouble. He says this year, as in the past few years, bear-damage complaints were common, resulting not so much from a change in bear behavior, but from humans moving into bear habitat and not understanding how to avoid problems with bears.

"There is a saying out West that a fed bear is a dead bear," he says, "and yet many folks in Pennsylvania don't understand the linkages between their actions and the fate of wildlife. They don't realize they have a responsibility to protect wildlife even from themselves. In some cases, people foolishly leave food out for bears, or they leave out greasy grills, dog food and well-stocked bird feeders. All provide an easy meal for bears, and they soon become used to these food sources. Bears lose their fear of people, and people -- who often want to watch them up close -- lose their fear of bears, forgetting that they are unpredictable and wild. Dangerous situations can be created." Before this bear-hunting season, the Pennsylvania Game Commission estimated there were 15,000 bears in the state, despite hunters having killed 8,000 bears the past three years. The bear population has continued to grow, even as people have established homes in areas once thought to be remote. San Julian refers to such people as "rural urbanites" and laments that many do not realize they should modify their behavior to limit confrontations with bears.

"When people move out into rural areas, they should know they are moving into wildlife habitat," San Julian says. "They enjoy watching wildlife, but they want all the amenities of living in an urban setting. When they begin having problems with wildlife, they mistakenly expect easy solutions to wildlife damage problems."

State officials have managed with great success to increase the bear population during the past 25 years, San Julian points out, and people moving to rural areas should be willing to make concessions to bears. "People should respect, appreciate and be tolerant of their furry neighbors," he says.

Mark Ternent, Game Commission bear biologist, said a harvest of 2,500 to 3,000 is likely for this week's season if poor weather does not impede hunters.

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EDITORS: Contact Gary San Julian at 814-863-0401 or gsjulian@psu.edu

Contact:

Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-863-9877 fax #289