World famous black bear Hope is believed killed

The bear "born on the internet" is believed to have been shot and killed by a hunter in Minnesota, US.

Hope was recognised internationally after her birth was filmed and broadcast live via a webcam in 2010.

The black bear and her mother Lily were subjects of a study by US biologist Dr Lynn Rogers and featured in the BBC documentary The Bear Family and Me.

Recreational hunting is permitted by licence in the state but hunters are asked not to shoot collared bears.

Dr Rogers and his colleagues at the Wildlife Research Institute were tracking 13 bears, each wearing identifying collars.
Using the GPS tracker in Hope's mother Lily's collar, the researchers confirmed her visits to a known hunter's bait site, but they could not account for the rest of the family.

The biologists have been working with the Minnesota Department for Natural Resources (DNR) who licence hunting in the state.

Read more ...

By Ella Davies Reporter, BBC Nature

Minnesota man mistakes bear for mosquito (via D R Shoop)

Melrude, Minn. (AP) - A 20-year-old Melrude man says he recently came face-to-face with a large black bear, which sniffed his cheek and snorted at him before wandering away.

Mason Cavanaugh was at a cabin last month on Dinham Lake. He was sitting on the porch when he felt what he thought was yet another pesky mosquito on the back of his neck.

He slapped at the offender and felt something wet and furry. He turned to see the bear rearing up on its hind legs. He was so stunned that he didn't budge.

The bear stood for about 10 seconds before walking over to investigate some nearby bird feeders. Then it came back and sniffed Cavanaugh's face, as he remained motionless.

A Duluth News Tribune report says it eventually ambled away.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/01/mason-cavanaugh-mist
akes-mosquito-for-bear/

Fast Asleep to Wide Awake: Hibernating Bears, Predation and Pregnancy

ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2011) — Black bears hibernate, sleeping their way through winter, and who can blame them? But science is only just beginning to understand the physiological changes that allow bears to re-emerge in spring without much muscle and bone loss, and how they escape from danger during the colder months. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Physiology used cardiac monitors and radio collars to measure the year round changes in heart rate and activity of wild black bears.
Previous studies have shown that during hibernation black bears undergo extreme variations in heart rate (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) -- the bear's heart rate increases when it takes a breath but stops for extended periods between breaths. In this study the researchers were able to monitor wild American black bears (Ursus americanus) throughout the year, 24 hours a day. They found that the bears had a pronounced respiratory sinus arrhythmia during hibernation and in the months leading up to their winter sleep. In addition, the bears were less active during the day in autumn, switching to being nocturnal. During the summer months, bears were active for up to 18 hours per day and had peak heart rates of over 200 beats per minute, however, during hibernation, respiration rates were as low as two breaths per minute and gaps of over 14 seconds without a heartbeat were recorded.

Pregnant wild bears hibernated deeply at the beginning of winter but their heart rates increased as their pregnancy continued, spiking during birth. After the cubs were born their mother's heart rate returned to hibernation levels. For several weeks after giving birth the mothers also exhibited much less movement, preventing accidental damage to the suckling cubs.

Dr Timothy Laske, one of the team who performed the research said, "When we retrieved our data, even though we tried to be as quiet as possible, the bears' heart rates increased before we reached the entrance to their winter den and remained elevated for a number of days. This confirms that despite apparent deep sleep, bears are always alert to danger and ready to act."

Dr David Garshelis who collaborated on this project continued, "Using this technology, year-round monitoring of wild bears allows us to observe details of bear behavior, such as pregnancy and birth, or interactions between bears and other wild animals, without disturbing their natural behavior." Dr Laske added, "Black bears often make their way into suburban areas which can be dangerous and stressful for both bears and humans and understanding the silent effect of humans and the environment on bears will also allow better bear management."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817022136.htm

Black bear, Florida bicyclist collide

PANAMA CITY, Florida - A Panama City man is recovering after colliding with a black bear while riding his bike to work.

John Hearn said he saw something out of the corner of his eye early Thursday morning. The nearly 300-pound bear smacked him off his bicycle and then fled into some nearby woods. Passing motorists stopped to help Hearn, who sustained minor injuries. The back tire of his bike was also ripped off. Hearn, who bikes to work at Tyndall Air Force Base a few times a week, said he still plans to bike to work.

Meanwhile, Florida's top expert on black bears calls the whole incident extremely unusual.

David Telesco, the state's Black Bear Management Program coordinator, says there are scores of vehicle crashes with bears in Florida every year, but collisions with people are very rare.


"Vehicle strikes are unfortunately somewhat common. In a typical year we get about 150, but actually hitting a person is very rare. The only incident I know of with an accident like that was in Ft. Myers in 2009. A bear ran into a woman who was outside of her place of business. It's just very rare to occur like that."

Bears may pose a danger to people if they stumble upon the animal's food or babies, but Telesco says unprovoked bear attacks have not been reported in Florida.

"We have never had an unprovoked or predatory attack on a person. People have been hurt by bears. Unfortunately it's situations where the bear is defending food or its young, but we've had people feeding bears and they've been swatted."

Florida's black bear population is estimated around 3,000. Increasing development has increased the odds that people will cross the paths of bears. They are large and powerful, but typically shy.

Telesco says one of the best ways to minimize contact with them is to make sure you don't have any trash lying around your yard.

"The number one thing that attracts bears is garbage and if the garbage is not available for bears to access, they have no reason to hang around our neighborhoods."
http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/200596/19/Black-bear-Florida-bicyclist-collide

Bear killed B.C. native elder, coroner confirms

Autopsy results have confirmed that a bear attack killed a well-known elder in the Xaxli'p First Nation whose remains were found last week near Lillooet, B.C.

After Bernice Evelyn Adolph had been reported missing, police dogs found her remains on Thursday near her remote property about 175 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.

There was evidence that Adolph, 72, had been partially consumed by bears, but before the autopsy, police were not sure how she died.

"After reviewing the autopsy results, evidence from the scene, and expertise and information provided by conservation officers, the B.C. Coroners Service was able to confirm a bear attack as the cause of her death," spokesman Mark Coleman said in a release on Tuesday.

Coleman said no decision about an inquest had been made.

Tried to enter house
Conservation officers killed four bears Sunday that matched the description of the animal that had fed on the woman.

Samples from the bears were sent to Edmonton for DNA testing to determine which bears were involved in the attack.

Adolph had complained to conservation authorities about bears on her property.

Investigators found evidence that bears had tried to enter her house.

While contact between black bears and humans is common, even in Metro Vancouver, the animals tend to fear humans and fatal attacks are rare.

Two people have died in black bear attacks in B.C. since 2000

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/07/05/bc-woman-bear-autopsy.html

Black bear sighted on UNC's Finley golf course

By Mark Schultz
Staff writer
Posted: Monday, May. 23, 2011

State and local officials have responded to a black bear sighting at UNC's Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill on Monday.

The bear was sighted on the third hole by golfers who called 911, said Chapel Hill police spokesman Lt. Kevin Gunter. State wildlife officials, Orange County Animal Control and campus police have been sent to the scene.

Last week, there were bear sightings Wednesday in Garner, Thursday in Raleigh and Saturday in Cary.

It’s unclear whether the sightings in Wake County were all of the same bear, though a state wildlife biologist said the sightings in Garner and Raleigh were likely of the same animal.

Biologist Greg Batts said the bear was likely a juvenile who accidentally wandered into the area while looking for a new home.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/05/23/2319412/black-bear-sighted-on-uncs-finley.html

Mystery surrounds black bear tracks, scratches (via Chad Arment)

Chris Potter

GateHouse News Service

Hornell, N.Y. — There are still many mysteries about black bears, contends Professor John VanNiel and his Black Bear Management I class at Finger Lakes Community College.

VanNiel and his students are currently investigating a mysterious aspect of bruin behavior – bears that appear to deliberately retread their tracks along a predetermined trail, leaving deep impressions in the earth. A high density of scratched and bitten trees often accompanies these routes.

The phenomenon has been documented in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. VanNiel and company are asking the general public for help finding similar occurrences in New York state.

“I think some people are reluctant to ask the public (for help) because there’s always the chance for misidentification or who knows what, but I have confidence in people,” VanNiel said. “I’ve met enough savvy outdoorsmen that maybe don’t have the college degree but still have a lot of woodcraft knowledge and could really be a lot of help in this.”

The project was born in July, when VanNiel and conservation technician Sasha MacKenzie journeyed to central Massachusetts to assist researchers at the Walnut Hill Tracking and Nature Center. It was there that they witnessed the phenomenon first hand.

“We had gone there to work with a couple people who have been studying these (retread tracks) for about seven years,” recalled VanNiel, a professor of environmental conservation and horticulture at FLCC. “They took us to one and we stumbled upon another one in the process. It was really interesting. They’re hard to describe… until you’ve actually seen it and seen that these bears are literally using the exact same footsteps over and over again. It’s not the same as tracks in the mud or in the snow. These are just really beaten down into the earth.”

Intrigued, VanNiel and MacKenzie returned home to find that there was precious little scientific research regarding black bears carefully retracing their steps in the manner they had just observed in Massachusetts. They decided to involve the class in the project.

“This class is what’s called project-based learning,” VanNiel said. “We do the class around a real-life project. That’s always the trick, trying to find something that 100 people haven’t already done before.

“(The students) have done everything from look through peer-reviewed literature like journals and field guides, to actually talking to bear biologists throughout the country. There are definitely people that have seen (the retread trails), but there’s no consensus on what the purpose of them are.”

For their part, Nick and Valerie Wisniewski, the researchers at Walnut Hill in Massachusetts, believe the re-treaded tracks are an element of black bear breeding behavior, and refer to the tracks as “ritual trails.”

VanNiel isn’t so sure, instead subscribing to the theory that the phenomenon may be related to territorial markings — the black bears’ own version of a “No Trespassing” sign.

“The (tracks) that we saw in Massachusetts were all associated with bite trees and heavily scratched trees,” VanNiel pointed out. “There were sign-posts along the way, in a sense. It wasn’t like this trail led from a bedding area to a feeding area. It would lead from scratched tree to scratched tree. I really think it has to do with territorial marking.

“We were walking along following the retread trail, and then we came upon a red pine that was heavily scratched on all four sides. Right at that spot is where the trail took a 90 degree turn. It was almost as if the scratch posts were markers or sign-posts literally along the trail.”

Canandaigua native Sara York, a student in the class, offered more possibilities.

“It could be a way of leaving a scent, which in turn ties into claiming the territory,” said York, a double major in Environmental Studies and Natural Resource Conservation. “Some say the same trail is reused through generations as well, which then brings on more questions. Are young cubs taught this or do they do it naturally? For how many generations does this carry on? Is it just males? Is it just females? There are so many (possible) reasons behind it. We just don’t know yet.”

York and her classmates are hoping outdoorsmen can help shed some light on the issue this fall. VanNiel points to the data found in the states along New York’s eastern border as evidence that the phenomenon could occur in the Empire State as well.

“There really should be no reason why we couldn’t find them here, except that I think they’re a little bit density-dependent,” VanNiel said. “When you have a high population of bucks, you end up with lots more rubs and scrapes, not just because there’s more bucks but because each individual buck is making more signs. They have to because of the competition. I think that these bear signs are somewhat density-dependent, also.”

VanNiel’s father owns property in Wayland. He and his dad took some time on the opening day of archery season to scour the woods for any sign of bear. They turned up a bitten tree, but no retread tracks.

VanNiel is hoping hunters all over the state will keep a sharp lookout this fall.

“I’m going to be out there walking around and in my tree stand the next couple months,” he said. “Our hope is (to) involve more eyes out there.”

Citizens are encouraged to send clear, close-up photos of the markings or trails along with their name, home address, telephone numbers, e-mail address and a detailed description of where the photo was taken to VanNiel at bears@flcc.edu

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/mysource/home_and_garden/x1385880209/Mystery-surrounds-black-bear-tracks-scratches

Mystery surrounds black bear tracks, scratches (via Chad Arment)

Chris Potter

GateHouse News Service

Hornell, N.Y. — There are still many mysteries about black bears, contends Professor John VanNiel and his Black Bear Management I class at Finger Lakes Community College.

VanNiel and his students are currently investigating a mysterious aspect of bruin behavior – bears that appear to deliberately retread their tracks along a predetermined trail, leaving deep impressions in the earth. A high density of scratched and bitten trees often accompanies these routes.

The phenomenon has been documented in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. VanNiel and company are asking the general public for help finding similar occurrences in New York state.

“I think some people are reluctant to ask the public (for help) because there’s always the chance for misidentification or who knows what, but I have confidence in people,” VanNiel said. “I’ve met enough savvy outdoorsmen that maybe don’t have the college degree but still have a lot of woodcraft knowledge and could really be a lot of help in this.”

The project was born in July, when VanNiel and conservation technician Sasha MacKenzie journeyed to central Massachusetts to assist researchers at the Walnut Hill Tracking and Nature Center. It was there that they witnessed the phenomenon first hand.

“We had gone there to work with a couple people who have been studying these (retread tracks) for about seven years,” recalled VanNiel, a professor of environmental conservation and horticulture at FLCC. “They took us to one and we stumbled upon another one in the process. It was really interesting. They’re hard to describe… until you’ve actually seen it and seen that these bears are literally using the exact same footsteps over and over again. It’s not the same as tracks in the mud or in the snow. These are just really beaten down into the earth.”

Intrigued, VanNiel and MacKenzie returned home to find that there was precious little scientific research regarding black bears carefully retracing their steps in the manner they had just observed in Massachusetts. They decided to involve the class in the project.

“This class is what’s called project-based learning,” VanNiel said. “We do the class around a real-life project. That’s always the trick, trying to find something that 100 people haven’t already done before.

“(The students) have done everything from look through peer-reviewed literature like journals and field guides, to actually talking to bear biologists throughout the country. There are definitely people that have seen (the retread trails), but there’s no consensus on what the purpose of them are.”

For their part, Nick and Valerie Wisniewski, the researchers at Walnut Hill in Massachusetts, believe the re-treaded tracks are an element of black bear breeding behavior, and refer to the tracks as “ritual trails.”

VanNiel isn’t so sure, instead subscribing to the theory that the phenomenon may be related to territorial markings — the black bears’ own version of a “No Trespassing” sign.

“The (tracks) that we saw in Massachusetts were all associated with bite trees and heavily scratched trees,” VanNiel pointed out. “There were sign-posts along the way, in a sense. It wasn’t like this trail led from a bedding area to a feeding area. It would lead from scratched tree to scratched tree. I really think it has to do with territorial marking.

“We were walking along following the retread trail, and then we came upon a red pine that was heavily scratched on all four sides. Right at that spot is where the trail took a 90 degree turn. It was almost as if the scratch posts were markers or sign-posts literally along the trail.”

Canandaigua native Sara York, a student in the class, offered more possibilities.

“It could be a way of leaving a scent, which in turn ties into claiming the territory,” said York, a double major in Environmental Studies and Natural Resource Conservation. “Some say the same trail is reused through generations as well, which then brings on more questions. Are young cubs taught this or do they do it naturally? For how many generations does this carry on? Is it just males? Is it just females? There are so many (possible) reasons behind it. We just don’t know yet.”

York and her classmates are hoping outdoorsmen can help shed some light on the issue this fall. VanNiel points to the data found in the states along New York’s eastern border as evidence that the phenomenon could occur in the Empire State as well.

“There really should be no reason why we couldn’t find them here, except that I think they’re a little bit density-dependent,” VanNiel said. “When you have a high population of bucks, you end up with lots more rubs and scrapes, not just because there’s more bucks but because each individual buck is making more signs. They have to because of the competition. I think that these bear signs are somewhat density-dependent, also.”

VanNiel’s father owns property in Wayland. He and his dad took some time on the opening day of archery season to scour the woods for any sign of bear. They turned up a bitten tree, but no retread tracks.

VanNiel is hoping hunters all over the state will keep a sharp lookout this fall.

“I’m going to be out there walking around and in my tree stand the next couple months,” he said. “Our hope is (to) involve more eyes out there.”

Citizens are encouraged to send clear, close-up photos of the markings or trails along with their name, home address, telephone numbers, e-mail address and a detailed description of where the photo was taken to VanNiel at bears@flcc.edu

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/mysource/home_and_garden/x1385880209/Mystery-surrounds-black-bear-tracks-scratches