As summer approaches, Arkansas wildlife officials are warning people to be vigilant of black bears. Spencer Daniels is a bear biologist with Arkansas Game and Fish and says this time of year, male yearlings are coming out of winter and roaming the state looking for their new range.
"This time of year, we get a lot of nuisance calls, and 90% of the time it's those young males that are out and about trying to find their own spot because they'll be going across long distances and they'll come across somebody's trash or somebody's bird feeder or something like that, and try to get a quick meal while they're moving about and trying to find a new area."
Daniels estimates that the state is home to roughly 5,000 black bears, which he says are not normally aggressive to humans. However, last year Arkansas saw two fatal attacks after more than a century without a recorded incident.
"After further investigation, our main cause, I guess, would be that the bears were just allowed to get too close. But also the first one, with Vernon Patton — we did find some brain abnormalities that may have caused some sort of abnormal behavior."
He says the largest concentration of black bears are in the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains, but their range extends all across the Natural State. To stay safe, he says people should hike in groups, keep food secure, maintain distance if they do see a bear, and if one becomes aggressive, clap and shout until the animal leaves. More information on bear safety is available at bearwise.org.
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