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Researchers say they are the world's smallest population, and they have adapted to civilization.
By DAN DeWITT
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 2, 2002
WEEKI WACHEE -- The world's smallest population of bears has developed its own ways to keep from getting any smaller.
"They stay well away from U.S. 19 and they don't get into Dumpsters at McDonald's or Burger King," said David Maehr, a University of Kentucky professor who is heading a study of the bears that live in coastal Hernando County. "They live right next to new developments. They come right up against those things and don't get into trouble."
Maehr's study, which is funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is now 5 years old. As research progressed, he said, some findings are becoming more and more clear.
Researchers always knew it was a small population of about 20 animals. By sifting through all available bear research, they are now convinced it is the world's smallest.
And because they live so close to developed areas, these bears behave differently from most others.
Bears, typically, sleep at night and forage for food in the daytime. The Weeki Wachee bears are nocturnal. Most bears wander long distances in search of food. These bears have a very limited range.
And, maybe most remarkably, he said, these bears have developed a form of street smarts. They generally keep a safe distance from U.S. 19. And, unusual for a species known for rooting through garbage piles and invading campsites, they have learned to stay away from manmade temptations.
"Nuisance activity by bears is UNKNOWN at least in the last five years," he wrote in an e-mail.
This behavior has probably evolved for several reasons, Maehr said.
Large numbers of bears were killed on the roads of western Hernando and Pasco counties in the 1970s and '80s, which probably eliminated the part of the population that was genetically prone to be adventurous.
The three adult female bears are all at least 10 years old, meaning they are able to teach their safety lessons.
"This is the oldest female population in Florida. There are some problems with this. They are not as quick, a little bit arthritic, probably less resistant to injury," Maehr said. "But they are smart."
Not all the cubs learn quickly enough. Two were killed in September on Osowaw Boulevard by a hit-and-run driver. Their mother was heard wailing for them in the woods north of the road.
Though the bears usually stay away from U.S. 19, they still regularly cross Osowaw and County Road 550, said Josh Brown, one of the researchers.
This is probably out of necessity, he said, because the amount of available habitat is so small.
"It's pretty amazing the limited space these bears are living in. They are literally in people's back yard," he said.
Because the bears are hemmed in by development, they have little genetic diversity, though so far this has caused no physical problems. The limited space means that adult male bears feel threatened by cubs and frequently kill them.
"It is a behavioral dysfunction because they are living at high densities," Maehr said.
That does not mean the population is doomed. Two cubs, which researchers recently examined and found to be in excellent health, were born this winter. A female, now about 21/2 years old, should be able to produce young either this year or next, Maehr said.
"This female will be the first in 11 years to establish herself in that population," Maehr said.