Comparing management techniques used on conflict American black bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Abstract: In Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM or Park), American black bears (Ursus americanus) sometimes exhibit conflict behavior that requires resource managers to act. Management options for conflict bears are limited, and it is necessary to evaluate their effectiveness. We analyzed 26 years (1990–2015) of bear capture data and calculated and compared the success rates of the 2 main techniques used to manage bears exhibiting conflict behavior in GRSM: capture and relocation, and capture and on-site release. Overall success rates, defined as a captured bear that was not recaptured for later conflict behavior, for all conflict bears captured was 74%. Bears that were relocated after their first capture were more successful (87%) than those that were released on-site following their first capture (61%), and median time before recapture was greater for relocated bears (293 days) than those released on-site (65 days).