There's really no question. People should NOT feed bears.

The sometimes irresistible connection between man and nature, can sometimes lead to people befriending wild animals. In the careful balance of coexistence, human contact, and particularly feeding, can lead to brash and bold bear behaviour. Bears learn to take liberties that most wild animals never would, engaging openly with people and often crossing a dangerous line. Close contact with bears, all too often, leads to trouble.

Bears that are intentionally or unintentionally fed by people become accustomed to being around people and are more likely to get into trouble causing property damage. Occasionally a fed bear, particularly a hand fed bear, will become bolder in seeking more food and may injure a person.Unfortunately, bears that are fed and come into frequent contact with people are often destroyed, not for what they have done, but for what people are afraid they might do. Very few bears are destroyed because of an actual threat to human safety.

It is not possible for a community to coexist with bears unless people and bears BOTH respect each other's boundaries. Baiting bears with a food reward teaches bears to cross boundaries of unacceptable behaviour and increases the potential for conflict situations. It changes the bear's attitude and alters its position in the hierarchy of the community.

Bears that become comfortable near people and built-up areas are also more likely to be involved in a vehicle accident, possibly causing injury or death to both the people in the vehicle and the bear.

Communities can be porous to bear activity, so that bears can pass through but avoid human-bear conflict situations.

Bears and People can Live in Harmony! It's up to YOU!

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