There was a time in West Texas when you didn’t see black bears in the wild. They’re native to the area, but unregulated hunting and habitat loss more or less pushed them out. But over the decades, bears have come back west of the Pecos.
At first, they could be found here and there, but now black bears are poring up in unconventional places. In the cities of Alpine, Fort Davis, and Fort Stockton — all places where bear sightings happened earlier this month.
“It’s a trend in bear-sightings,” said James Weaver. He’s a technical guidance biologist with the Trans-Pecos division of Texas Parks and Wildlife. “It’s starting to indicate that the bears are making a comeback to West Texas and recolonizing dome of their former habitat such as the Davis Mountains. I think it’s just taken a while to get to where we are. The bears are just finding this un occupied habitat and moving back in.”
Black bears are a protected species meaning that it is illegal to kill or harm them. So city residents encountering bears wreaking havoc on their property must take more proactive measure to shoo Black Bears away.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– What happened when a back bear was spotted in downtown Fort Davis.
– Why there have been more black bear’s sighted in urban areas and towns.
– What are some specific ways homeowners can prevent bears from coming on to their property.
– How locals are adapting.
