Goldilocks Revisited: Public Perceptions of Urban Bears in Northern British Columbia

Abstract

ABSTRACTManagement of black bears (Ursus americanus) in urban settings is of growing concern because they often recolonize areas from which they had been extirpated. Urban landscapes offer much needed bear habitat, buffer habitat losses in other areas, and offer protection for bear populations, but only if conflicts between bears and humans are managed. In collaboration with the Northern Bear Awareness Society in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, a survey of a sample of Prince George residents was conducted to determine their attitudes toward black bears and bear management, including euthanasia (N = 71). These residents tended to feel positively toward black bears, but were split on the issue of euthanasia, with half being firmly opposed and half recognizing the need under certain conditions. There was a significant preference for non-lethal management tools, suggesting an opportunity for governments to explore options for managing human activities that created bear attractants.