More black bears: there are more bear, and there's less habitat. Guess what's next

摘要

In late August a black bear in the Catskill resort area of upstate New York fatally mauled an infant in broad daylight. Fatal black bear/human interactions are rare - fewer than 40 deaths were reported in the 20th century. You are 180 times more likely to be killed by a wasp, and nearly 400 times more likely to be killed by lightening than to be killed by a black bear. This is no consolation to the family of the child that died, certainly. But non-fatal black bear/human interactions are increasingyearly. This is due to several factors; primarily loss of habitat as development expands into bear country, or more commonly, when development areas bisect what was a black bear's territory. However, as hunting pressures decline black bear populations are actually increasing in the U.S. Estimates put the population in North America at about 750,000, with around 30,000 being dispatched each year through hunting and destruction when they become problems.