Bears, as well as people, are moving into Western North Carolina at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, the people moving to the mountains of this area tend to like the same areas that the black bear likes, and this is creating some problems. Many people are reporting sightings of black bears in their yards, raiding garbage cans and birdfeeders, and crossing roads. But if you know a little about these gentle creatures as well as some preventative measures, all of us, two-legged and four-legged, can peacefully co-exist.

Black bears are the largest mammals living in the forests of North Carolina. Their average weight is 150-350 pounds, but a few bears weighing over 600 pounds have been reported. They are classified as carnivores but are actually omnivorous (as are humans), eating a wide variety of food such as plants, berries, acorns and other nuts, insects, fruits, as well as some animal material. Black bears are generally shy, reclusive animals that try to avoid human contact and are not normally aggressive towards people.

In 1971, the black bear range in North Carolina was about 2.5 million acres. Today their range has expanded to over 9 million acres. The coastal area around the Dismal Swamp supports a larger population than the mountains but the population in this area is expanding rapidly. There are several reasons for this increase, including mild winters and bumper crops of acorns in years past. People have also been better educated as to how to live with the black bear.

So what in the world is going on this year? Almost every day we see on television and read in the newspaper about black bears in people's yards, roaming around neighborhoods and towns, getting hit by automobiles, and so forth. There are several reasons for the increased bear activity, the most important being the acorn crop was very scarce this year. This time of year, bears are trying to fatten themselves up for the winter and they rely heavily on acorns, which are very high in fat. The higher elevations of Western North Carolina have very few acorns this year so the bears that normally stay out of sight high in the mountains are moving into lower elevations in search of food. Another reason for increased bear activity is that young male bears are moving around trying to establish their territory. Mother bears keep their cubs with them for one season, or until they have more cubs, at which point they run off the cubs from the previous year. These bears are rather inexperienced and may venture into areas that mature bears know are dangerous, such as busy highways or back yards.

So as the population of both bears and people increase, we must learn how to coexist. If you feed domestic pets outside, make sure to bring in the food dishes at night. Bring bird feeders in at night or empty them nightly (bears especially love black oil sunflower seeds). Keep garbage cans inside a building or shed until pick-up day and never try to feed a bear.

If a bear comes into your yard, just watch it from a window and realize how lucky you are to be able to see such a majestic animal so close. Also remember the area you are living in probably had bears living in there long before there were any people. Only through understanding and appreciation of wildlife will we be able to continue to enjoy an abundance of wild animals.