North Carolina's black bears were once a threatened species, but now their numbers are rising in and around Asheville. But what happens when conservation efforts for a species are so successful that there's a boom in the population? Can humans and bears live compatibly? What are the long-term effects for the bears? Author Amy Cherrix follows the scientists who, in cooperation with local citizen scientists, are trying to answer to these questions and more. Part field science, part conservation science, Backyard Bears looks at black bears--and other animals around the globe--who are rapidly becoming our neighbors in urban and suburban areas. What happens when conservation efforts for a species are so successful that there's a boom in the population? Part field science, part conservation science, Backyard Bears looks at black bears--and other animals around the globe--who are rapidly becoming our neighbors in urban and suburban areas. North Carolina's black bears were once a threatened species, but now their numbers are rising in and around Asheville. Can humans and bears live compatibly? What are the long-term effects for the bears? Author Amy Cherrix follows the scientists who, in cooperation with local citizens, are trying to answer to these questions and more.

Taught survival skills by his mother, a bear cub grows up in the forest with everything he needs to live, but when the people tear down the trees and force him to search garbage cans for food, the bear wonders how long it will be before he finds himself in trouble by the people who live nearby.

A conservation scientist explores the increasing intersection between humans and wild animals Fang and claw have jumped the white picket fence as encounters with cougars in Chicago, alligators in Florida, and bears virtually everywhere have become increasingly commonplace. As cities and suburbs sprawl, and conservation efforts enable wildlife populations to recover, large wild animals are encroaching on human turf. These creatures might be thrilling to see, but they can bite, scratch, and even kill, and attacks on humans will only increase as we come face to face in the man-made landscape. Author Edward R. Ricciuti explores cutting-edge research into why it’s happening, how it impacts all of us, and how to deal with it on both societal and personal levels. Readers will learn how to protect against potential dangers even as they are being thoroughly entertained by hair-raising tales of real-life encounters.

North Carolina's black bears were once a threatened species, but what happens when conservation efforts for a species are so successful that there's a boom in the population. With black bear numbers on the rise, suddenly these animals are finding themselves in areas they've never been before, like in and around Asheville. Amy Cherrix follows scientists as they study these backyard bears and the local citizens living among them, trying to figure out just how this happened and what it means for bears and their new neighbors. Part field science, part conservation science, Backyard Bears looks at black bears and other animals around the globe whose numbers are not only rising, but thriving, and finding themselves in new locations around the world.

Three species of bear inhabit North America: the grizzly, the polar bear, and the black bear. But the American black bear is truly North America's bear, found only in North America. Black bears range from Canada to Mexico, from New England to California. There may be as many as 750,000 black bears roaming the forests and mountains of the continent. With its large population, and with more people moving into black bear territory, it's important that we understand this magnificent animal. Stephen R. Swinburne takes us to where black bears live. He joins biologists in search of bears in the Pennsylvania woods, where a mother bear is examined and her cubs tagged. He visits a "school teacher" for orphaned cubs who teaches them how to survive in the wild. Along the way, he offers his personal observations together with fascinating facts about black bears and their world. (Did you know that in the autumn, black bears consume as much as twenty thousand calories a day? That's equivalent to forty-two hamburgers!) With stunning full-color and archival photographs, this lively book shows how North America's bear behaves and survives.

Fang and claw have jumped the white picket fence as encounters with cougars in Chicago, alligators in Florida, and bears virtually everywhere have become increasingly commonplace. Author Edward Ricciuti explores cutting-edge research into why it’s happening, how it impacts all of us, and how to deal with it on both societal and personal levels. As cities and suburbs sprawl, and conservation efforts enable wildlife populations to recover, large wild animals are encroaching on human turf. These creatures might be thrilling to see, but they can bite, scratch, and even kill, and attacks on humans will only increase as we come face to face in the man-made landscape. Readers will learn how to protect against potential dangers even as they are being thoroughly entertained by hair-raising tales of real-life encounters.

Annotation The Stantons left an urban life in Seattle and lived on B.C.'s Knight Inlet for 30 years, in harmony with grizzlies. A classic west coast story, this book is now in its fourth printing.