As Arkansans spend more time outdoors during the summer months, wildlife experts say residents may notice an increase in black bear sightings, but they emphasize that bears are generally wary of people and rarely pose a threat.
Although Arkansas experienced two tragic black bear attacks last fall — the first fatal attacks in more than a century — Don White, wildlife ecologist and bear expert with the Arkansas Forest Resources Center based at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, said such incidents are exceptionally uncommon for our state.
“Most bears are naturally afraid of people and will leave an area when they know a human is nearby,” said White, who is also the James White Endowed Professor of Wildlife Ecology at UAM. “Their sense of smell is incredibly acute, allowing them to detect us long before we know they are nearby. In most cases, bears quietly move away without ever being seen.”…