Assessment of black bear (Ursus americanus) response behavior to human presence in Yellowstone National Park through observational study

Ohio Journal of Sciences (abstr.) 118: A5 As visitation continues to increase in National Parks, natural resource protection must be balanced with the growing tourism industry. Yellowstone National Park experiences more than four million visitors annually, and many expect to see and interact with large mammals, including black bears (Ursus americanus). The main goal of this study was to produce an extensive database garnered from park reports of each bear sighting during 2016 (n = 171) and 2017 (n = 311) within the Tower/Lamar Valley District of Yellowstone National Park (the district with the highest concentration of bears). Behavioral patterns and habits of bears were assessed from a descriptive tally record on key social subgroups, partitioning sows with cubs (174 sows), lone adults (182 adults), lone sub-adults (77 sub-adults), and courting couples (19 couples). Each report noted time of day (usually 6:00 to 21:00), location, distance from humans (range 0 m to 2200 m), and bear response to human presence. Categorical assessment of frequencies suggested that negative behavioral patterns have declined compared to summary reports from the park before 1994. These results suggest that current hazing practices (scaring a bear away from humans using loud noises or non-lethal projectiles) have discouraged future negative behaviors especially when combined with efforts to limit humans from facilitating interactions. Sows with cubs tended to approach the near roads the majority of the time in 2017 versus lone adults in 2016 which enables a focus on reducing negative behavior in these social groups. These results may help the Park Service better promote positive wildlife experiences.