Bear Management

In effort to keep bears wild, intense measures are being taken. Part of these measures consists of re-educating bears to keep them from entering parking lots & campgrounds and directing them back into forests. To do this Park Rangers use a technique called aversive conditioning in which they use shotguns firing bean bags or rubber slugs to let the bears know they are not welcome. As a bear loses its fear of humans and becomes accustomed to our food they present a greater threat to humans. Bears are rarely relocated from their original place of capture because in nearly every case, relocated bears return quickly to the site of capture and resume previous habituated or food conditioned behavior. Bears have also been killed by motor vehicles while traveling back to their original home range. When a bears' aggression for food heightens it becomes necessary for them to be put down.

As guests you can assist in this management by using storage lockers, removing all food from cars & tents, and saving a bear's life. It is easier to manage our behavior than the bears'