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What kind of bears are there in north carolina - what kind of bears are there in north carolinaThe Bears - Carolina Country
To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls. Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. We have been seeing many reports on social media lately regarding bear sightings and even nuisance issues with bears in residential neighborhoods.
First, it is important to note that the black bear is the only bear species found in North Carolina. As a general rule, they are very non-aggressive and prefer to avoid contact with humans. During the mid s, population levels of black bear sank very low in North Carolina. Wildlife management plans were developed to restore the population levels of this important species.
Today, black bears are found throughout our region. While this represents a victory in wildlife management, the increasing human population presents some of the challenges we see today in coexisting with the black bear. Again, generally these animals are more wary of humans than we are of them. However, it is important to remember that they are wild animals and maintain an attitude of healthy respect. If you are living in close proximity to bears, below are some important measures you should take.
First and foremost, do not feed bears! This is rewarding the bear for coming into a residential area and encouraging them to approach people. This can cause serious safety issues for the bear as well as other humans. Along those same lines, be sure you have removed or secured any potential food sources.
Store garbage in areas bears cannot access. Bears roamed only in the most remote areas of western and coastal North Carolina. In the s, an effort began to manage wildlife, including black bears, and to enforce wildlife laws. Black bears, the only bear found in the state, are now at an all-time healthy population. Black bears live in 60 percent of the total land area of our state.
The abundant food sources in the northeastern parts of North Carolina make those counties especially hospitable to bears. She has seen mama bears with as many as three cubs. She says each cub can have a different daddy, as the sow will mate with more than one male during the season.
You've perhaps seen video of bears wandering into towns. Even the city of Raleigh has had some occasional bear visits. While the bear population has increased in North Carolina, it is interesting to note that nature has provided black bears with a unique system of population control. A female has her first litter of cubs when she is 2 to 11 years old. Whether she has a litter at all depends on whether or not there is plentiful food. Nature has built in a system for bears not provided for most other mammals that prevents them from producing offspring when food is scarce.
The process is called delayed implantation. The fertilized egg develops into a small embryo, and then it stops growing for several months. If the female doesn't acquire sufficient weight in those months the embryo will not develop. Her body reabsorbs it. If food is plentiful and the sow has the required weight, the embryo develops and baby bears are born in January or February.
The sow has cubs about every two years if conditions are good. Cubs stay with their mother for about 18 months. The bears we see wandering into human subdivisions are often those young bears who are looking for territory of their own and for a mate. They are just passing through, and the best way to handle them is to let them be.
Don't leave pet food or garbage where they can get into it and don't harass them. By all means never feed them.
Wildlife experts will tell you, "A fed bear is a dead bear. If left alone, the visiting bear will soon move on. Black bears are omnivores; they will eat just about anything. Normally their preferred foods consist of nuts, acorns, fruits and berries, and insects. They eat meat and grasses or other rough vegetation only when their favorite foods are not available. In the farming country of northeast North Carolina, black bears have adapted their tastes to corn, soybeans and peanuts.
Most farmers have learned to live with the bears in spite of their foraging in their fields. Hunting helps control the numbers of bears damaging crops. Gail Harrison Hodges' family has farmed in Washington County since the s. In the beginning, her father had only a few acres of corn, and a bear family in his corn was a real financial blow.
In those early days, traps controlled bears that damaged crops. In those days, Gail says, "When my Dad trapped or shot a bear, we ate it, as we did anything Daddy hunted or killed. Gail says her brother who now farms the family land feels more protective of the bears, understanding that humans have encroached into what was once the bears' territory.
Jess Spruill, who also farms in Washington County, says bears can have a financial impact on both corn and soybeans in his operation. Bears will eat the corn ears when they reach full maturity and graze on newly emerged soybeans. Jess watches for the bears and tries to run them out of the soybeans. Once the beans mature, the bears do not seem as attracted to them. Bears are harder to spot in the tall corn.
Jess says it is very common to lose up to 40 yards from the woods of any harvestable crop. The bears are very interested in the plastic-wrapped modules. Some say they like the glue in the wrap.
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