Collecting ripe fruit from gardens and urban orchards is one of the best practices of coexistence with the bear if we want to prevent some individuals to frequent towns. In fact, they may get used to the presence of people and eventually fall into conflicts with human activities. On 22nd August, a female Marsican bear of about six years died of a collision with a vehicle near Rionero Sannitico (IS), where she used to feed on fruit in the town’s vegetable gardens.
A Bear Smart Community must prevent these incidents.
We are grateful to Cecilia De Sanctis for telling this scene from “our” mountains, the mountains of the bear, through images.
Cartoon bubble: “Look. Instead of staying in the mountains, it comes to eat to our home! We can’t stand it anymore!”
“Maybe because we have forgotten that this has always been its home, too”.
“But wouldn’t it better to prevent them get used to staying in towns?”
“Right. Do you know what? Tomorrow we’ll pick up all apples and make an apple pie.”
