Black bears are increasingly moving into suburban and urban areas in search of food. Non-lethal conflict management protects both bear welfare and community safety far more effectively than lethal control.
Black bear welfare in human-dominated landscapes is primarily threatened by the lethal management response to conflicts caused by human-provided food attractants. Bears attracted to unsecured garbage, bird feeders, fruit trees, and outdoor food sources are often killed as a management response when non-lethal alternatives would be equally or more effective. Lethal response to what are essentially human-created attractant problems shifts the welfare cost onto bears while failing to address the underlying cause. Non-lethal approaches including bear-proof garbage infrastructure, aversive conditioning, and community education programs reduce conflicts sustainably and without welfare harms to bears. Communities that adopt bear-smart practices consistently report reduced conflicts without lethal management.