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Factors that Determine Human Acceptance of Black Bears
Author(s) -
Cleary Matteo,
Joshi Omkar,
Fairbanks W. Sue
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.1002/jwmg.21999
Subject(s) - ursus , affect (linguistics) , outreach , wildlife , population , cognition , geography , psychology , perception , social psychology , socioeconomics , demography , political science , sociology , ecology , law , communication , neuroscience , biology
After being extirpated from their historical distribution, black bears ( Ursus americanus ) have recolonized eastern Oklahoma, USA. As bears continue to establish populations in the region, understanding the cognitive factors that influence human acceptance of black bears will play an important role in facilitating coexistence. We hypothesized that a variety of variables drawing from the cognitive hierarchy and risk perception frameworks would affect human acceptance of black bears in eastern Oklahoma. We collected data using a mail‐back questionnaire administered to residents of eastern Oklahoma between August and November 2018. Perceptions of the current black bear population size, attitudes toward bears, valuing Oklahoma wildlife, behavioral intentions, and level of formal education all positively influenced acceptance of bears. Risk‐averse respondents and women were less accepting. Outreach to women and encouraging residents to reduce conflict by adopting bear‐safe behaviors may help raise acceptance capacity for black bears. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.