Crossing into bear country

In India, sloth bears mauled or killed 137 people over two years. In Indonesia, sun bears that are losing their habitat are increasingly on the attack. And in North America, grizzlies made news last fall in the high-profile killings of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell and companion Amie Huguenard in Alaska. “Bear conflict is present worldwide, anywhere we have bears,” said Lorna Bernard, spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Game. This week, top wildlife biologists are gathering in San Diego to share research about the world’s eight species of bears and their interactions with humans -- from tracking urban bears in the San Gabriel Mountains to building trust among captive bears. Steve Herrero, a professor at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, has compiled a comprehensive list of bear attacks that provides insight on specific behavior patterns and conflict points -- and how humans need to keep bears from crossing the line. “What this research can tell us is how we should be behaving toward bears,” Bernard said. The 15th International Conference on Bear Research and Management started Sunday and continues with presentations and panel sessions through Friday. Thursday evening’s program about giant pandas is open to the public. For information, go to www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/bear/iba/information.htm.