NATURALIST'S 



NOTEBOOK 



Yet in spring and summer barely 

 a day goes by that Wendy Stanton 

 doesn't see bears where she works as a 

 wildlife biologist at the Pocosin Lakes 

 National Wildlife Refuge spanning 

 Tyrrell, Washington and Hyde counties. 

 In fact, Stanton says she sees more of 

 them each year. 



To see a black bear in its natural 

 environment is worth the effort, though 

 proper respect should be given to this 

 powerful and often unpredictable animal. 



When on all fours, bears show their 

 resemblance to distant wild dog rela- 

 tives. But bears seem oddly human when 

 they stand and walk upright. They have 

 five toes with long, nonretractable claws 

 on each plantigrade foot, meaning they 

 walk with feet flat on the ground. 



While their bulk might suggest that 

 they move clumsily, black bears are 

 actually quite agile and can run up to 30 

 miles an hour, swim and, unlike the 

 grizzly of the northwestern United States 

 and Canada, can climb trees expertly. Of 

 course tree climbing can be difficult or 

 impossible for the largest members of 

 the species. A 600-pound bruin is 

 unlikely to find itself out on a limb. 



The black bear's name can be 

 confusing since they are not always 

 black. They can be brown or honey- 

 colored, and some have white patches on 

 their chests. There is also confusion 

 about their nature. To think of bears as 

 either cuddly, tamable animals or as 

 dangerous threats to humans is equally 

 erroneous. 



The truth is that, while bears can be 

 nuisances, they are rarely dangerous. 

 And when a bear is a nuisance, there is 

 often a human cause. That is why Rowe 

 cautions that people should never feed 

 bears. 



If they are fed, bears may lose their 

 innate aversion to humans and venture 

 into populated areas. Then property 

 damage is a real possibility. So before 

 offering a bear a Twinkie, better check 



your insurance policy for a bear clause. 



If a bear searching for food finds 

 itself in the wrong neighborhood and 

 becomes surrounded by a curious 

 crowd, it could feel threatened and 

 become truly dangerous. "We respect 

 these animals," says Rowe. 



Unfortunately, such respect does 

 not imply due process for bears. And a 

 bear declared to be dangerous may be 

 destroyed even if the offense was 

 instigated by people. 



Humans also help turn bears into 

 nuisances by encroaching on their 

 territory. According to a N.C. Wildlife 

 Resources Commission publication, the 

 black bear's range has been reduced 

 significantly since colonial times. 



By the 1970s, the black bear 

 population had deteriorated to the 

 degree that they were deemed a "special 

 concern" at a symposium on endangered 

 and threatened species. That's when 

 approximately 800,000 acres were set 

 aside as bear sanctuaries, and the bear 

 population began to recover. Now 

 around 8,500 black bears live in North 

 Carolina's coastal plain and mountains. 



Increased development has brought 

 human and bear habitats closer, with 

 resulting competition. Even without an 

 acquired taste for human food, a bear's 

 appetite can get it into trouble. 



Although classified as carnivores, 

 bears are actually omnivores who will 

 eat about anything. Crops such as corn, 

 watermelon, peanuts and wheat often 

 fall victims to hungry bears' appetites. 

 Rowe says it's no myth that bears like 

 honey, and beekeepers in bear country 

 sometimes resort to high-security 

 electrical fencing to protect hives. 



Bears aren't picky eaters, either, 

 and a well-stocked garbage container 

 can look like a smorgasbord to them, 

 especially if they have been conditioned 

 to like human food. 



When bears are more active — 

 in spring and early summer — Rowe 



guesses he gets from two to four calls a 

 week about bears creating a nuisance. 



At the Pocosin Lakes refuge, 

 Stanton finds a sense of humor helps to 

 make life among black bears bearable. 

 It's "amusing if somewhat aggravat- 

 ing," she says, when bears chew on 

 signs or use water gauges as back- 

 scratching posts. 



Bears feast on corn that refuge 

 employees set out as lures for ducks 

 that are to be banded for study. Stanton 

 recounts seeing seven bears at one time 

 on a 60-square-foot landing bingeing on 

 corn set out to attract ducks. "That's a 

 lot of bears" for that size area, she says. 



Despite problems with bears, 

 Stanton is enthusiastic about seeing 

 them. In fact, she considers the Pocosin 

 Lakes refuge to be a "hidden treasure" 

 where a great variety of wildlife can be 

 seen. The best time to see bears is at 

 sunrise and at dusk, she says. 



But if you find yourself closer than 

 you would like, don't panic. Above all. 

 don't run, because that may trigger an 

 impulse for them to chase. And they 

 can out-run you. "Stand your ground," 

 Stanton says, and yell or scream. 



Rowe agrees, though he says a 

 close encounter "probably won't 

 happen." If an unfriendly encounter 

 does occur, he suggests making noise, 

 and backing slowly away. 



Avoid bears in late fall before 

 hibernation because they may be 

 grumpier, Stanton says, although bears 

 in our state are not true hibernators. 

 Instead they take prolonged deep naps. 



So, if you go down in the woods 

 today, you could get a big surprise. . . 

 and if you respect the bear's habitat, it 

 could be a pleasant one. 



For more information on Pocosin 

 Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, call 

 252/797-4431 or visit the Web at: 

 http://southeast.fws.gov/wildlife/ 

 nwrpoc.html. 



COASTWATCH 27 



