Black Bear Habitat Fragmentation Leads to more Human Conflicts in Florida

This week, human-black bear interaction in residential areas between Ocala National Forest and Orlando, FL made headlines after a bear bit a woman in her garage.  This problem is not new.  Both bear and human populations in Florida have been growing since the 1970s, and poor housing development plans have fragmented the bears’ habitats as building expands ever closer to Ocala National Forest.  Conflicts have increased because of misunderstandings that could benefit from a One Health approach.  Experts on bear behavior from the Bear Management Program for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advise maintaining a contiguous habitat for the bears and that bears are easily habituated to humans.  Public education campaigns to advise residents against approaching bears, feeding bears, or failing to secure garbage from bears should be reinforced.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140415-black-bear-florida-attack-habitat-wildlife-conservation/


Paige Meier

Duke University

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