The recent saga of the troublesome family of bears in Hanover, destined to be killed after they entered a home in search of food, is one of the latest examples of conflict between black bears and humans in New Hampshire. Governor Chris Sununu intervened, and the three yearlings were captured and relocated to the north country, although the mother bear has yet to be located. The Hanover human-bear conflict generated concern nationwide, with hundreds signing an online petition and flooding N.H. Fish & Game with calls. Why did this conflict resonate with so many - and how do we continue to live with bears in New Hampshire?
GUESTS:
- Dave Anderson - Director of Education for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and a host of NHPR's "Something Wild"
- John Gregg, News Editor at the Valley News in West Lebanon, NH
- Pete Pekins - UNH Professor of Wildlife Ecology and chair of the Department of Natural Resources; he has been the lead investigator on seven N.H. bear research projects since 2000.
There are many resources to learn about black bears on the NH Fish & Game website, including FAQs about bears in N.H., how to protect poultry from wildlife, and information about the Somethin's Bruin program. The program is also featured in the July 2015 N.H. Wildlife Journal.
Dave Anderson wrote an article for the N.H. Union Leader on what we can learn from the Hanover bears saga. Listen to Dave Anderson's 2015 conversation with Ben Kilham, founder of the Kilham Black Bear Rehabilitation Center in Lyme, N.H.
NHPR's Sean Hurley spent time with NH Fish & Game in June 2016 as they trapped a bear to be relocated.
The Valley News has been reporting on this family of bears for some time: check out this timeline of the conflict on their website. Here's a video they posted of the bears in a dumpster:
Check this article about the "Jackson 5" bears which were rehabilitated and released in June 2016.
