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A Profile Of Panhandling Black Bears In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jane Tate
A Profile Of Panhandling Black Bears In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jane Tate
Doctoral Dissertations
A study of panhandling black bears (Ursus americanus), conducted in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from 1976 through 1978, focused on establishing an ecological and behavioral profile of this segment of the population. Procedures included various photographic and written records.
The panhandling contingent showed a preponderance of older females and younger males. Of 392 panhandling sessions on 33 different bears, 43.9% involved aggression. Seven types of aggression were recorded and assigned numeric values based upon apparent severity. Blow vocalization and charge were the most likely to occur. Similarly, crowding by visitors was the most frequent precipitator of ursid aggression. …