YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. -- Incidents between bears and humans at Yosemite National Park dropped 54 percent this past spring and summer after a campaign to separate the species.
In 1998, bear incidents -- mostly involving car break-ins -- reached 1,398 through November. The animals did $615,500 in property damage.This year, there have been 639 incidents and $208,000 in damage.
The bears had become sophisticated in their hunt, easily breaking car windows to search for food inside. Campers would hang their food in trees, but adult bears would deploy cubs to climb the smallest branches and shake down the food.
The campaign strategy was simple, said Robert Hansen, executive director of the Yosemite Fund, a nonprofit organization that gave $1.5 million to help bankroll the park's bear-control program.
"Instead of trying to change the bear behavior," he said, "We changed humans' behavior."
To make sure guests used bear-proof food lockers, the park showed a video of bears breaking into cars and required guests to sign a paper saying they understood the bear problem. Backpackers were offered $3 bear-proof canisters to take with them into the mountains.
The program has saved bears as well.
At the height of the troubles, five to seven "problem bears" were destroyed by rangers each year. This year, three bears were killed.