Genetic sleuths capture the secret lives of Bay Area bears
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- In a landscape long empty of bears, the North Bay is now home to an increasing number of young and growing families, living lives full of drama and adventure.
A remarkable new genetic study has found that Sonoma County-based matriarchs are raising healthy cubs, sometimes stashing them up in tall fir trees. Absentee fathers and restless sons are visiting and vanishing. Some siblings had a brief romance.
Researchers also are collecting evidence left behind by bears exploring Marin County’s suburban yards, city playgrounds and the wilds of the western coast. The goal is to map their wanderings and teach residents how to live among bears safely, such as keeping garbage secure.
The research — conducted by a large group of state agencies, nonprofit conservation groups, landowners and volunteers called the North Bay Bear Collaborative – boosts hopes that North Bay bear populations will continue their expansion into protected East Bay woodlands.
“It’s giving us an idea of their relationships, and how they’re moving around,” said lead scientist Meghan Walla-Murphy.
“We’re hoping to use this information to help inform the public that are now living with black bears, where they weren’t 10 to 15 years ago, to help both our human and bear communities stay safe and resilient.”
Black bears are shy animals and usually avoid people. But they’re well-adapted to living alongside us, and as their numbers increase, our worlds will overlap. On Friday, state wildlife...