Missouri Department of Conservation and Local Farm Owner Team Up to Track Black Bears

By 1949, bears had all but vanished in the state of Missouri. In the 1960s, however, there was a resurgence in the state’s bear population, and their numbers have continued to grow over the past 50 years – and so has human interest in these animals.

In order to prevent the bear population from dwindling down again in the future, resource personnel from the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the United States Forest Service, and the National Park Service have collaborated and identified vital information that can help to reduce conflicts between bears and humans and encourage the expansion of suitable habitats for the animals.

Jeff Ford’s farm in Seymour has become a beloved spot for bears. In order to help improve their habitat and co-existence with humans, Ford has given the Missouri Department of Conservation to trap and collar the bears with GPS tracking devices so that they can better understand the animals. The information gathered from the GPS tracking devices will not only assist scientists in gaining a better understanding of the bears, but it will help the general population, too.

Every movement of the bears who are tagged with the GPS collars is being tracked. Interested people can visit the on the website of the Missouri Department of Conservation to follow the daily journey of the bears.

The information relayed by the tracking technology has a delay, which avoids them from being hunted and allows them to stay out of harm’s way. For scientists, the information has enabled them to gain valuable knowledgeable about what is happening in the bears’ habitat so they can determine how they can aide in the growth of the population.

According to Jeff Beringer, head of the conservation effort, the best way that humans can help the bears by allowing them to stay wild. He claims that a ‘fed bear is a dead bear.’ Why? – Because if one person feeds a bear, the animal may think that the next person it comes into contact with will also feed it, but the next person may find the bear a threat and attempt to kill it. Beringer cautions people to be mindful of their food. When camping, put food away and make sure bird feeders are out of reach of bears. He also suggests people shoo bears away if they come into contact with the animals.

This bear study started in 2010 and is expected to conclude in 2022, and while a lot has been learned thus far, there is still a lot more learning to do.

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