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The Mexican black bear population in Big Bend National Park has been far more visible this year. Just this year, there have been 213 sightings, compared with 127 in all of 2005, and 109 in 2004.
Throughout the summer, numerous hikers to Boot Canyon in the Chisos Mountains have have seen a mother bear with two cubs. More recently, bears have been sighted near Cattail Falls, the Oak Springs trail, and the popular Window trail, prompting officials to temporarily close those trails to the public.
According to park wildlife biologist Raymond Skiles, “It appears not to be a great year for the production of acorns, and madrone berries, and production of these and other foods are limited to wet drainages where there is a relative abundance of production [food]” – hence the “congregation of bears.”
While it is difficult to determine the exact number of the current bear population in the park, Skiles estimates that there are 15-20, with about 7 near Cattail Falls. This rebound is impressive; biologists considered the bears extirpated from Texas by the mid-1950’s, with a few remnant populations in the mountains of northern Mexico, which some believe are the source of the Chisos population.
Yet while the increase in bear sightings is dramatic, Skiles notes that even with 30 or 40 individuals, the population as a whole would still be fragile, subject to wide swings in numbers brought on by environmental stresses such as a drought.
The success of the bear population in the park is the result of binational efforts in habitat and species protection, and proactive measures implemented by the National Park Service.
Big Bend National Park has taken extensive steps in keeping bear-human interactions to a minimum by installing numerous “bear boxes” at all backcountry campsites in the Chisos, metal containers with bearproof latches in which hikers are to store all food. The park’s interpretive naturalists strive to educate visitors on bear safety and proper protocol while in bear country.
The creation of both the Maderas del Carmen Protected Area and Big Bend National Park (in the 1940’s) has afforded the bears protected habitat. In 1986, Mexico place the bears on its federal endangered species list, and in 1987 Texas placed them on the state endangered list, thereby removing the animals as eligible hunting.
To insure that the current recovery continues, park officials stress the need to keep the bears wild by minimizing the bear-human interactions, which is the reason for the the temporary trail closures.
When become habituated to humans, they are for the most part, according to Skiles, “set on a trajectory to destruction.” A bear – black or grizzly – who comes to associate humans with food may lose its fear of humans and become aggressive, making park managers to feel they have no choice but to kill the animal to protect visitors.
Most visitors who encounter bears in the wild are thrilled; to keep the experience a cherished memory, visitors are reminded never to approach or feed bears or any other wildlife. Remember, “A fed bear is a dead bear.”
A Mexican black bear, a subspecies of Euarctos americanus, the black bear of North America, in the Chisos Mountains. (Charles Draper)
Remember: Black bears, javelinas, skunks, coyotes, and raccoons frequent Big Bend’s campgrounds. Although they sometimes appear tame, all of the animals in the park are wild, and could pose a threat to your health and safety if you attempt to approach or feed them. Never feed any of Big Bend’s wildlife. To prevent these creatures from becoming habituated to people, store all food, coolers, cooking utensils, and toiletries in a hard-sided vehicle, preferably in the trunk of your car. Food storage lockers are available for hikers and campers in the Chisos Mountains. Dispose of garbage properly. At the Chisos Basin Campground, throw away garbage in the special bear-proof dumpsters and trash cans provided. Remember to report sightings of bears and lions to a ranger. For current trail information call 432-477-2251. Source: National Park Service.
