The MO Department of Conversation wishes to remind residents that with the arrival of spring also are the waking of hibernating black bears. As they leave their winter home this time of year, finding food is their main focus. Keep in mind, do not feed the bears! A fed Bear is a Dead Bear. When bears loose their fear of people they will approach people looking for food and if they begin to associate people with food sources, that’s when they become dangerous. A bear that this happens to can not be relocated, it has been proven that a relocated bear for that purpose will go in search of people and that’s not good. When this happens there is no choice for the dept of conservation but to destroy the bear. Currently there are an estimated 350 native black bears in MO. So be aware and don’t feed the bears.
