Human-bear conflicts result in bear injuries, mortality, and psychological stress, while threatening the safety of communities living near bear habitat.
Bears involved in human conflicts suffer significant welfare costs: capture and translocation involves extreme physiological stress, potential injury, and disorientation. Bears labeled as problems are often killed despite evidence that the conflict arose from preventable human behaviors like unsecured garbage. A welfare-centered approach prioritizes preventing conflict through food security measures rather than reactive lethal control, recognizing that individual bears have intrinsic value beyond their population role.