Maine's estimated 20,000-plus black bears occupy 85 percent of the state's land,
Date
11-1-1996
Pages
52-55, 69-70
Abstract
Maine's estimated 20,000-plus black bears occupy 85 percent of the state's land, from York to Aroostook counties. The bears have become accustomed to human food sources, and wildlife officials fear they might lose their natural wariness of humans. Maine is the only state in the lower 48 that tolerates bear-trapping. The state is among a few that permit hunting with hounds, and it sanctions a legalized trade in bear gallbladders. Maine's bear denning project, led by Craig McLaughlin for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and started in 1975, is one of the longest-running and most extensive bear studies in the United States. The department is frustrated that the public creates "nuisance" bears by feeding them and then wants them removed. With details on the project, the public controversy over bear hunting practices, and the demand created by oriental medicine for bear gall bladders.
Subjects
Bears
Recommended Citation
Scott, Sarah, "Maine's estimated 20,000-plus black bears occupy 85 percent of the state's land," (1996). Maine News Index - Down East Magazine. 2227.
https://digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/news_downeast/2227
Source
Down East