Bears inhabited practically every continent when humans first reached North America. The grizzlies thrived in all western states, from Mexico to the tip of Alaska. The smaller black bear, a relative to the grizzly, lived in places as far-ranging as the Atlantic and the Pacific in North America, and Mexico to the northern edge of the continent. Since the black bear was a valuable source of thick hides for clothing and shelter, rich meat, and sweet fat for the Native Americans, we can see why they valued it and passed on the stories of these bears through their oral folktales.

The European settlers brought their fear of the wild and the animals. These bears posed a threat to life, livestock, and crops and so they began killing them. Their fear made its way into popular children’s books at the time, which showed bears attacking hunters alongside other predators preying on their cattle. As is common with a human presence, forest land was wiped out to make space for open farmland, and the bears began losing their homes. The more the population expanded, the more black bears were killed for safety, food, or other purposes. Because they reproduced much slower than other mammals, the black bear population began to dwindle.

However, restoration programs and recovery of forest land saw their numbers go up again, with some states like New Jersey and Maryland reporting a five-fold increase. While these bears have not been able to reclaim their entire territory across North America, there is still a good number of black bears in the wild. In fact, they are listed as the least endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to their large population. While the bear population is expanding, so is the human population, to the extent that the two are coexisting in many areas.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/national-black-bear-day/