Black Bear Population In Missouri Continues To Grow

(MISSOURINET)  – Conservation officials want you to bear witness to the state’s black bear population growing. They might be an exciting part of the state’s natural history, but they are making a comeback in the southern part of the state, even being seen in places like St. Louis. Nate Bowersock, black bear biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation warns residents to be bear aware.

Never feed a bear, Bowersock says, as feeding them makes them lose their natural fear of humans and it teaches them to see humans as providers of food. When that happens, bears will learn to go to places like homes, campsites, and neighborhoods to look for food, instead of staying in the forest.