[pct-l] Bear smarts

[Brick Robbins]

On Feb 4, 2008 12:22 PM, Len Glassner <len5742 at gmail.com> wrote:
> If bears are so smart, why don't they figure out that they'll be
> killed if they bust a can open?

I was thinking back to my first answer to this question, and it
bothered me that I was so glib.

In their interactions with people in the National Parks,the car
campgrounds and town dumps, humans have trained the bears that the
most unpleasant thing that people do to bears is throw rocks at them,
or in extreme cases, shoot them with tranquilizers.

The bears learn that there is NO reason to fear people. Then one day
out comes the rifle, and bye bye bear. All their lives we've trained
them the opposite. How unfair!

At least now, places like Mammoth are trying to use pain and fear,
without causing any permanent harm, with things like flash/bang
grenades and pepper ball guns.

I don't know the number of bears killed "for sport" vs the number
killed by government paid eradication specialists, but I can't help
but think that with the divergent skills of amateur hunters vs
professional killers, the hunters may instill more fear in the bear
populations, while killing fewer bears, than the way they are
"managed" in the Souther Sierra. Just a thought.