Editing American black bear (section)

== Relationships with humans ==

=== In folklore, mythology and culture ===
[[File:Harry Colebourne and Winnie.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Harry Colebourn]] and [[Winnipeg (bear)|Winnipeg]], the bear from which [[Winnie-the-Pooh]] got his name]]
[[File:Domesticated american black bear - head 02.jpg|thumb|right|A tame bear on a leash]]

==== Indigenous ====
Black bears feature prominently in the stories of some of North America's [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous peoples]]. One tale tells of how the black bear was a creation of the [[Great Spirit]], while the grizzly bear was created by the Evil Spirit.<ref>Lippincott, Joshua B. (2009). ''Folklore and Legends of the North American Indian'', Abela Publishing Ltd., {{ISBN|0-9560584-6-9}}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2020}} In the mythology of the [[Haida people|Haida]], [[Tlingit]] and [[Tsimshian]] people of the northwest coast, mankind first learned to respect bears when a girl married the son of a black bear chieftain.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bastian |first1=Dawn Elaine |last2=Mitchell |first2=Judy K. |year=2004 |title=Handbook of Native American Mythology |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=1-85109-533-0}}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2020}} In [[Kwakwakaʼwakw|Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw]] mythology, black and brown bears became enemies when Grizzly Bear Woman killed Black Bear Woman for being lazy. Black Bear Woman's children, in turn, killed Grizzly Bear Woman's children.<ref>[[Julia Averkieva|Averkieva, Julia]] and [[Mark Sherman (collector)|Sherman, Mark]]. ''Kwakiutl String Figures'', UBC Press, 1992, {{ISBN|0-7748-0432-7}}</ref> The [[Navajo]] believed that the Big Black Bear was chief among the bears of the four directions surrounding Sun's house and would pray to it in order to be granted its protection during raids.<ref>Clark, LaVerne Harrell (2001). ''They Sang for Horses: The Impact of the Horse on Navajo & Apache Folklore'', University Press of Colorado, {{ISBN|0-87081-496-6}}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2020}}

[[Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore|Sleeping Bear Dunes]] in Michigan is named after a Native American legend, where a female bear and her two cubs swam across [[Lake Michigan]] to escape a fire on the Wisconsin shore. The mother bear reached the shore and waited for her cubs, but they did not make it across. Two islands mark where the cubs drowned, while the dune marks the spot where the mother bear waited.<ref>National Park Service. (2020, September 10). ''The story of Sleeping Bear Dunes''. https://www.nps.gov/slbe/learn/kidsyouth/the-story-of-sleeping-bear.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622202040/https://www.nps.gov/slbe/learn/kidsyouth/the-story-of-sleeping-bear.htm |date=June 22, 2021 }}</ref>

==== Anglo-American ====
[[Morris Michtom]], the creator of the [[teddy bear]], was inspired to make the toy when he came across a cartoon of [[Theodore Roosevelt]] refusing to shoot a black bear cub tied to a tree.<ref name="LoC">{{cite web| url=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/presidents/roosevelt/bears_1| title=Teddy Bears| publisher=Library Of Congress| access-date=December 10, 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217035253/http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/presidents/roosevelt/bears_1| archive-date=December 17, 2007| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}</ref> The fictional character [[Winnie-the-Pooh]] was named after [[Winnipeg (bear)|Winnipeg]], a female cub that lived at the [[London Zoo]] from 1915 until her death in 1934.<ref name="winnie">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070703045949/http://www.cbc.ca/winnie/ ''A Bear Named Winnie''] Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.ca TV (2004)</ref> A cub, who in the spring of 1950 was caught in the [[Capitan Gap Fire]], was made into the living representative of [[Smokey Bear]], the mascot of the [[United States Forest Service]].<ref name="smoke">{{cite web |url=http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2002/6/smokey.cfm |title=Zoogoer Nov/Dec 2002 Sidebar: Smokey Comes to Washington by Alex Hawes |publisher=Nationalzoo.si.edu |access-date=February 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619235709/http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2002/6/smokey.cfm |archive-date=June 19, 2010 }}</ref>

[[Terrible Ted (bear)|Terrible Ted]] was a de-toothed and de-clawed bear who was forced to perform as a [[pro wrestler]] and whose "career" lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s. The American black bear is the mascot of the [[University of Maine]] and [[Baylor University]], where the university houses two live bears on campus.

=== Attacks on humans ===
{{See also|Bear attack|Bear danger}}
[[File:Bearmailbox.JPG|thumb|left|upright|The incidence of bear attacks in parks and campgrounds declined after the introduction of bear-resistant garbage cans and other reforms.]]

Although an adult bear is quite capable of killing a human, American black bears typically avoid confronting humans. Unlike grizzly bears, which became a subject of fearsome legend among the European settlers of North America, black bears were rarely considered overly dangerous, even though they lived in areas where the pioneers had settled.

American black bears rarely attack when confronted by humans and usually only make mock charges, emit blowing noises and swat the ground with their forepaws. The number of attacks on humans is higher than those by brown bears in North America, but this is largely because black bears considerably outnumber brown bears. Compared to brown bear attacks, aggressive encounters with black bears rarely lead to serious injury. Most attacks tend to be motivated by hunger rather than territoriality and thus victims have a higher probability of surviving by fighting back rather than submitting. Unlike female brown bears, female American black bears are not as protective of their cubs and rarely attack humans in the vicinity of the cubs.<ref name="Herrero" /> However, occasionally such attacks do occur.<ref name="Lariviere" /> The worst recorded attack occurred in May 1978, in which a bear killed three teenagers fishing in [[Algonquin Park]] in Ontario.<ref name="kruuk" /> Another exceptional attack occurred in August 1997 in [[Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park]] in [[British Columbia]], when an emaciated bear attacked a mother and child, killing the mother and a man who intervened. The bear was shot while mauling a fourth victim.<ref name="OutdoorLifeApril11999">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2007/09/black-bears-simple-fools-or-cunning-killers |title=Black Bears—Simple Fools or Cunning Killers |last=Shockey |first=Jim |date=1 April 1999 |magazine=Outdoor Life |access-date=20 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430151609/http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2007/09/black-bears-simple-fools-or-cunning-killers |archive-date=April 30, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="17Aug1997LAT">{{cite news |title=Black Bear Kills Texas Woman, Canadian Man |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-17-mn-23311-story.html |access-date=September 10, 2016 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=17 August 1997 |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104115128/http://articles.latimes.com/1997/aug/17/news/mn-23311 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The majority of attacks happened in national parks, usually near campgrounds, where the bears had [[habituation|habituated]] to close human proximity and food.<ref name="Herrero" /> Of 1,028&nbsp;incidents of aggressive acts toward humans, recorded from 1964 to 1976 in the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], 107 resulted in injury and occurred mainly in tourist hot spots where people regularly fed the bears handouts.<ref name="kruuk">Kruuk, Hans (2002). ''Hunter and Hunted: Relationships Between Carnivores and People'', Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|0-521-89109-4}}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2020}} In almost every case where open garbage dumps that attracted bears were closed and handouts ceased, the number of aggressive encounters dropped.<ref name="Lariviere" /> However, in the Liard River Hot Springs case, the bear was apparently dependent on a local garbage dump that had closed and so was starving to death.<ref name="OutdoorLifeApril11999" /> Attempts to relocate bears are typically unsuccessful, as the bears seem able to return to their home range, even without familiar landscape cues.<ref name="Lariviere" />

=== Livestock and crop predation ===
A limitation of food sources in early spring and wild berry and nut crop failures in summer may contribute to bears regularly feeding from human-based food sources. These bears often eat crops, especially during autumn hyperphagia when natural foods are scarce. Favored crops include apples, oats and corn.<ref name="Hunter" />{{page needed|date=May 2020}} American black bears can do extensive damage in areas of the northwestern United States by stripping the bark from trees and feeding on the [[Vascular cambium|cambium]]. Livestock depredations occur mostly in spring.

Although they occasionally hunt adult cattle and horses, they seem to prefer smaller prey such as sheep, goats, pigs and young calves. They usually kill by biting the neck and shoulders, though they may break the neck or back of the prey with blows with the paws. Evidence of a bear attack includes claw marks and is often found on the neck, back and shoulders of larger animals. [[Surplus killing]] of sheep and goats is common. American black bears have been known to frighten livestock herds over cliffs, causing injuries and death to many animals; whether this is intentional is not known.<ref name="Predation" /> Occasionally bears kill pets, especially domestic dogs, which are most prone to harass a bear.<ref>[http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/Black-Bear-Attacks-Dog-163784946.html "Black Bear Attacks Dog"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730030121/http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/Black-Bear-Attacks-Dog-163784946.html |date=July 30, 2012 }}. WJHG. Retrieved December 21, 2012.</ref> It is not recommended to use unleashed dogs to deter bear attacks. Although large, aggressive dogs can sometimes cause a bear to run, if pressed, angry bears often turn the tables and end up chasing the dogs in return. A bear in pursuit of a pet dog can threaten both canid and human lives.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131120140301/http://www.nps.gov/dena/frequently-asked-questions-regarding-bears.htm "Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Bears"]. Denali National Park & Preserve, National Park Service. Retrieved December 21, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-9087.pdf "Encountering Black Bears in Arkansas"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229035255/http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-9087.pdf |date=December 29, 2012 }}. University of Arkansas.</ref>

=== Hunting ===
{{main|Bear hunting}}

The hunting of American black bears has taken place since the initial [[settlement of the Americas]]. The first piece of evidence dates to a [[Clovis culture|Clovis site]] at [[Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site|Lehner Ranch]], Arizona. Partially [[Calcination|calcined]] teeth of a 3-month old black bear cub came from a roasting pit, suggesting the bear cub was eaten. The surrounding charcoal was dated to the [[Greenlandian|Early Holocene]] (10,940 BP). Black bear remains also appear to be associated with early peoples in [[Tlapacoya (archeological site)|Tlapacoya]], Mexico. Native Americans increasingly utilized black bears during the [[Holocene]], particularly in the late Holocene [[upper Midwest]], e.g., [[Hopewell tradition|Hopewell]] and [[Mississippian culture|Mississippian]] cultures.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Pérez-Crespo |first1=J. |last2=Arroyo-Cabrales |first2=J. E. |last3=Johnson |first3=R. W. |last4=Graham |first4=V. A. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1227719621 |title=North American ursid (mammalia: ursidae) defaunation from Pleistocene to recent |date=2016-01-01 |oclc=1227719621 |access-date=March 2, 2022 |archive-date=March 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303091153/https://search.worldcat.org/title/1227719621 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some Native American tribes,{{which|date=April 2014}} in admiration for the American black bear's intelligence, would decorate the heads of bears they killed with trinkets and place them on blankets. Tobacco smoke would be wafted into the disembodied head's nostrils by the hunter that dealt the killing blow, who would compliment the animal for its courage.<ref name="wood" />{{page needed|date=May 2020}} The [[Gwichʼin|Kutchin]] typically hunted American black bears during their hibernation cycle. Unlike the hunting of hibernating grizzly bears, which was fraught with danger, hibernating American black bears took longer to awaken and hunting them was thus safer and easier.<ref name="kutch" /> During the European colonisation of eastern North America, thousands of bears were hunted for their meat, fat and fur.<ref name="world" />{{page needed|date=May 2020}} [[Theodore Roosevelt]] wrote extensively on black bear hunting in his ''Hunting the Grisly and other sketches'', in which he stated,

{{blockquote|text=in [a black bear] chase there is much excitement, and occasionally a slight spice of danger, just enough to render it attractive; so it has always been eagerly followed.<ref name="TEDDY">{{cite book |author=Roosevelt, Theodore |title=Hunting the Grisly and Other Sketches |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rXzr9PaITD4C&pg=PT33 |year= 2007 |publisher= ReadHowYouWant.com |isbn=978-1-4250-7306-0 |pages=33–}}</ref>}}

He wrote that black bears were difficult to hunt by stalking, due to their habitat preferences, though they were easy to trap. Roosevelt described how, in the southern states, [[Planter class|planters]] regularly hunted bears on horseback with hounds. [[Wade Hampton III|General Wade Hampton]] was known to have been present at 500 successful bear hunts, two-thirds of which he killed personally. He killed 30 or 40 bears with only a knife, which he would use to stab the bears between the shoulder blades while they were distracted by his hounds.<ref name="TEDDY" /> Unless well trained, horses were often useless in bear hunts, as they often bolted when the bears stood their ground.<ref name="wood" />{{page needed|date=May 2020}} In 1799, 192,000 American black bear skins were exported from Quebec. In 1822, 3,000 skins were exported from the [[Hudson's Bay Company]].<ref>[[Charles Frederick Partington|Partington, Charles Frederick]] (1835). ''The British Cyclopædia of Natural History: Combining a Scientific Classification of Animals, Plants, and Minerals'', Vol. 1, Orr & Smith.</ref> In 1992, untanned, fleshed and salted hides were sold for an average of $165.{{sfn|Brown|1993|loc=Ch. "Use of Bears and Bear Parts"}}

In Canada, black bears are considered as both a big game and furbearer species in all provinces, save for New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories, where they are only classed as a big game species. There are around 80,900 licensed bear hunters in Canada. Canadian black bear hunts take place in the fall and spring, and both male and female bears can be legally taken, though some provinces prohibit the hunting of females with cubs, or yearlings.<ref name="plan" />

Currently, 28 of the [[U.S. state]]s have American black bear hunting seasons. Nineteen states require a bear hunting license, with some also requiring a big game license. In eight states, only a big game license is required. Overall, over 481,500 American black bear hunting licenses are sold per year. The hunting methods and seasons vary greatly according to state, with some bear hunting seasons including fall only, spring and fall, or year-round. New Jersey, in November 2010, approved a six-day bear-hunting season in early December 2010 to slow the growth of the population. Bear hunting had been banned in New Jersey for five years before that time.<ref>{{cite web |author=Sciarrino, Robert |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/nj_environmental_comissioner_g.html |title=Black bear hunt gets final approval from Department of Environmental Protection head |work=The Star-Ledger |date=July 21, 2010 |access-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-date=August 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826014842/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/nj_environmental_comissioner_g.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A [[Fairleigh Dickinson University]] PublicMind poll found that 53% of New Jersey voters approved of the new season if scientists concluded that bears were leaving their usual habitats and destroying private property.<ref name="fdu Public Approves">{{cite web |url=http://publicmind.fdu.edu/1011bears/ |title=Bear Necessity? Public Approves of Bear Hunt |publisher=Publicmind.fdu.edu |access-date=February 19, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629195551/http://publicmind.fdu.edu/1011bears/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Men, older voters and those living in rural areas were more likely to approve of a bear hunting season in New Jersey than women, younger voters and those living in more developed parts of the state.<ref name="fdu Public Approves" /> In the western states, where there are large American black bear populations, there are spring and year-round seasons. Approximately 18,000 American black bears were killed annually in the U.S. between 1988 and 1992. Within this period, annual kills ranged from six bears in South Carolina to 2,232 in Maine.<ref name="plan" /> According to Dwight Schuh in his ''Bowhunter's Encyclopedia'', American black bears are the third most popular quarry of [[Bowhunting|bowhunters]], behind deer and elk.<ref>Schuh, Dwight R. (1992). ''Bowhunter's Encyclopedia'', Stackpole Books, {{ISBN|0-8117-2412-3}}</ref>

==== Meat ====
{{nutritionalvalue | name=American black bear meat | kJ=649 | water=71.20 g | protein=20.10 g | fat=8.30 g | ash=0.40 g | carbs=0.00 g | | iron_mg=7.20 | phosphorus_mg=162 | thiamin_mg=0.160 | riboflavin_mg=0.680 | niacin_mg=3.200 | vitA_ug=78 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }}
Bear meat had historically been held in high esteem among North America's indigenous people and colonists.<ref name="wood" />{{page needed|date=May 2020}} American black bears were the only bear species the Kutchin hunted for their meat, though this constituted only a small part of their diet.<ref name="kutch">Nelson, Richard K. (1986). ''Hunters of the Northern Forest: Designs for Survival Among the Alaskan Kutchin'', University of Chicago Press, {{ISBN|0-226-57181-5}}</ref> According to the second volume of ''[[Frank Forester]]'s Field Sports of the United States, and British Provinces, of North America'':

{{blockquote|text=The flesh of the [black] bear is savoury, but rather luscious, and tastes not unlike [[pork]]. It was once so common an article of food in New-York as to have given the name of ''Bear Market'' to one of the principal markets of the city.|sign=''Frank Forester's Field Sports of the United States, and British Provinces, of North America'', p. 186}}

Theodore Roosevelt likened the flesh of young American black bears to that of pork, and not as coarse or flavorless as the meat of grizzly bears.<ref>Roosevelt, Theodore. ''Hunting Trips of a Ranchman: Hunting Trips on the Prairie and in the Mountains'', Adamant Media Corporation, {{ISBN|1-4212-6647-4}}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2020}} The most favored cuts of are concentrated in the legs and loins. Meat from the neck, front legs and shoulders is usually ground into minced meat or used for stews and casseroles. Keeping the fat on tends to give the meat a strong flavor. As American black bears can have [[trichinellosis]], cooking temperatures need to be high in order to kill the parasites.<ref name="hunt">Smith, Richard P. (2007). ''Black Bear Hunting'', Stackpole Books, {{ISBN|0-8117-0269-3}}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2020}}

Bear fat was once valued as a cosmetic article that promoted hair growth and gloss. The fat most favored for this purpose was the hard white fat found in the body's interior. As only a small portion of this fat could be harvested for this purpose, the oil was often mixed with large quantities of hog lard.<ref name="wood" />{{page needed|date=May 2020}} However, [[animal rights]] activism over the last decade{{When|date=July 2021|reason=It's not clear when this was written and therefore which decade this is meant to refer to.}} has slowed the harvest of these animals; therefore the lard from bears has not been used in recent years for the purpose of cosmetics.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}