Bears, Mountain Lions, and Wolves

Black Bear 

In Missouri, bears and mountain lions sightings and populations are on the upswing.  As a hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman, and conservationist, I believe that is a good thing.  Folks in other Midwest states can add wolf populations to the list of species that had been essentially extirpated, but are now on a hopeful road to recovery.

A natural tendency is to fear what we don't know.  Each of these three species are pretty much unknown to the residents of Midwestern states, and to make it even more difficult, these animals have an exaggerated reputation for being dangerous.  Additionally, and especially with regard to wolves and mountain lions, farmers and ranchers have what seems to be an instinctive desire to eradicate every last one of them (an admitted gross generalization!).

Of course the realities are far different.  Like sharks in the ocean, the ferocity of these creatures is far less than movies and the media would have us believe.  Humans are nowhere naturally in the food chain for any of them!

The very few cases where these animals attack humans fall into two categories.  By far the most prevalent are those cases where people are sloppy and leave attractive messes around their home and yard.  Yes, bears will come raid your trash for the odor of the birthday cake remnants and hamburger scraps from a a party.  But just the smallest effort can keep these problems from arising.

The other category of attacks by these animals falls into the aberrant behavior category.  Especially with black bears, if they have not been conditioned to humans, they are very frightened and shy with regard to people.  However, certain very rare scenarios can change that.  A cornered bear, a sow with cubs, or a bear with an illness (abscessed teeth seem to be common) can make a bear act contrary to his normally non-aggressive and shy nature.  The same applies to mountain lions and wolves to an even greater extent.

Michigan DNT put out the video at the bottom to help people avoid bear problems.  The same kind of commonsense approach (with some subtle differences) will apply to wolves and mountain lions as well.

Having these species once more part of nature is well worth the effort.  If you appreciate things being in their truly natural state, having these magnificent animals roaming the woods is a highly necessary part of the process.