TWRA Bear specialist addresses CORA

‘It’s not a bear problem, it is a people problem’- Dan Gibbs, TWRA

Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency Bear Specialist Dan Gibbs spoke at Tuesday’s Campbell Outdoor Recreation meeting about the increasing bear population and ways to prevent bear conflicts.

By Charlotte Underwood 

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- “The bear population is on the increase on the Cumberland Plateau,” according to Dan Gibbs the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) Bear biologist who spoke at Tuesday’s Campbell Outdoor Recreation Association (CORA) meeting.

Gibbs gave a presentation on Human/Bear Conflict Management and how the agency addresses these and how the public can prevent conflicts. He identified the root cause of human/bear conflicts is due to “attractants.”

He encouraged the public to help reduce the number of bear conflicts that are occurring and to prevent future conflicts by “eliminating bear attractants” such as garbage, bird feeders, chickens, bees, and such that draw bears onto their property. 

“Until people address the attractants, we won’t have success with reducing these conflicts,” Gibbs said. 

He said the TWRA was trying to “shift the public’s expectation on what they expect the agency to do about conflicts such as trapping, kill permits and hunting.”

“We want to see the public work independently and cooperatively to prevent the problem and establish expectations of the public to prevent these conflicts. Exclusion is the way to go,” Gibbs said. 

According to TWRA Bear Specialist Dan Gibbs, bear proof trash receptacles is one of the best ways to prevent conflicts with these wild animals.

He spoke about the need for people in high bear activity areas to purchase Polycart bear proof trash receptacles and bear proof dumpsters.

“These bears have got to be excluded from these sources of trash,” Gibbs said.

He challenged CORA to help with the education of Campbell County and helping with the issue. 

“Bearwise.org is a great resource for information and tips on preventing bear conflicts. The idea is to have a consistent education program across the nation,” Gibbs said. 

Multiple TWRA agents were in attendance at the meeting and reported having reports of an increase in bear encounters on the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area.

Gibbs said there is a “large core of female bears in the Big South Fork” and more male bears in Campbell County. 

He reported .06 bears per square mile, which equals around 550 bears on the Cumberland Plateau.

“One thing we hear is that people are seeing more and more bears on the Cumberland Plateau,” Gibbs said.

He spoke about the importance of recognizing perception vs reality.

Campbell Outdoor Recreation Association (CORA) Board Chair Bill Stanley, left, and CORA President Terry Lewis, right, said CORA has an interest in the increasing bear population on the Cumberland Plateau and invited TWRA Bear specialist Dan Gibbs to speak at Tuesday’s CORA meeting.

“Bears are more visible these days with trail cameras and Ring cameras, people have had bears in their back yard forever, but they didn’t know it till they put their cameras up,” Gibbs said.

He reported the agency had to euthanize 25 bears this year due to conflicts. He reported nine injuries this year as well.

“These injuries were the result of people not doing what they should with attractants; they were preventable, ” Gibbs said.

He reiterated that if the “attractants were removed, the conflicts would not happen.” 

“It’s not a bear problem, it is a people problem. Bears are wild animals taking advantage of opportunities and easy food sources…You can almost always trace it back to trash or an attractant,” Gibbs said.

He gave advice to prevent bear conflicts such as removing bird seed feeders and replacing it with a garden. He also said that “electric fencing is the future of conflict management with bears” and encouraged people to install electric fencing around bees and chickens to prevent conflicts.

Gibbs said there were three great myths about addressing conflicts, with the first one being “trapping”, the second being “kill permits” and the third is “hunting.”

“When someone calls us about a bear, they want us to trap the bear, but that doesn’t work. A trapped and relocated bear only has a 20 percent survival rate, and it doesn’t address the root problem of the attractant. We also don’t like to move bears without knowing their history,” Gibbs said.

He also said hunting is not the answer for conflict management.

“These don’t work because it doesn’t address the problem, which is the attractant, whether it be birdseed, chickens, bees or trash,” Gibbs said.

He mentioned an organization called Smokies Bear Wise Task Force which is trying to provide educational information about bears and how to cut down on conflicts. 

Gibbs encouraged CORA to organize their own task force to get the “bear education out on the Cumberland Plateau.” The TWRA advises these task forces. 

The “takeaway” of the presentation was that “these conflicts can be dealt with and prevented” if people are willing to make some changes. 

“You have to make the decision today to get ahead of the game. It’s a change in the way you live…. if people will address those attractants and remove them, the conflicts will go down. People can coexist with bears,” Gibbs said.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 10/02/2024-6AM)