Working to assure the longterm viability of top carnivore wildlife in the west.

Bear Damage "Control" Programs

GO BACK

Each year in the U.S., private wildlife damage control operators and state and federal government officials kill millions of animals, including 100,000 top carnivores such as cougars, wolves, coyotes, badgers, foxes, bobcats, and bears, in response to actual or perceived conflicts with the animals. Under these “damage control” programs, bears are killed in a variety of ways. Government or private operators often capture and kill bears with cages, neck and leg snares, or steel leghold traps. Other methods include pursuing bears with a pack of radio-collared hounds, placing bait to attract bears, or simply shooting the animal.


In Oregon, for example, bears are even killed by federal and state officials simply because the bears peel the bark off trees on corporate timberland. Bears peel the bark to get at the sap after emerging from their winter dens. Timber companies claim the hungry bears damage trees on their property. Most of the bears are captured with leg snares. Bait is placed to attract bears to trap sites. When a bear steps on a buried pan, a trigger sends a wire coil around the bear's foot which tightens as the bear struggles. Bears caught in snares are then shot. If the bear has cubs, officials also kills the cubs.


Lethal control efforts are largely inhumane and generally doomed to fail since they don’t address the root causes of conflicts or provide long-lasting solutions. Most conflicts with wildlife can be avoided by simple changes to human behavior. Unfortunately, many communities have a kill-first policy instead of educating the public about steps they can take to prevent conflicts with bears.