Merry meet!!! I suppose you came here to learn more about Black Bears. You found this link probably by going to my Lilia BlackBear page. If not, welcome anyway and let me explain why I call myself Lilia BlackBear.
The North American black bear (Ursus americanus) is my totem animal. Totems are animals that we learn with in the spirit world. Most of the time, one takes on the characteristics of one's totem. No, I'm not black and fluffy, but many of my mental, emotional, and social actions are much the same as the black bear. Which came first, my actions or the black bear as my totem? I'm not sure, but either way, I feel a deep connection with this beautiful and wonderful creature of the Earth.
One of the gifts I want to try to give back to my totem (This is the Norse blood in me -- a gift demands a gift!) for giving me the insight that She does is education and preservation. Through education, one learns the importance of things. The black bear serves the Earth in a very important way and deserves credit where it is so often forgotten. Please learn a little more about this most glorious animal by spending a little time at the links below.
Bear TAG -- The Bear Taxon Advisory Group is a division of the AZA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association) that specializes in the needs of all
eight of the species of bears. They make sure bears are being treated humanely all over the world and conduct preservation projects in the bears' natural habitats.
The American Bear Association -- The ABA is a group of volunteers who serve to protect the black bear. Their angle on preservation is not only education, but also providing means for humans and black bears to co-exist together. They take great pride in their wildlife
sanctuary located in Minnesota. They also include among their information pages wonderful photographs of black bears in their natural habitats.
The Appalachian Bear Center -- The ABC does exactly what their moto implies; they give bears a second chance. They collect injured, orphaned, or sick bears and
rehabilitate then release the bears back into the wild.
The North American Bear Center -- I'll let them speak for themselves. Here is their mission statement: It is the mission of the North American Bear Center to be a leader in providing understanding and appreciation of black bears, their role in the ecosystem and their
relationship to humans. This will be accomplished through a facility that promotes and provides educational facilities, exhibits, multi-media presentations, and when prudent, live animals, particularly those needing clinical rehabilitation.
I hope you have found the above links informative. I also hope you realize how important the conservation of the black bear is. Several yeas ago, when I first went seraching for black bear info on the internet, I found several sites about the hunting of black bears. Of course, since the animal is extremely close to me, I found the hunting of black bears hard to swallow. I found the stories of their visciousness unbelievable even before I learned much of the black bear. I couldn't believe such a viscious animal as they described would choose me to communicate with. After learning more, I found that they are not visciuos animals at all. They are simply protective and survivalists.
I'm reminded of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Through his humorous anecdote of walking the Appalacian Trail, he relates to many stories of black bears and survival. He often comically fantasizes throughout the book of coming face to face with one of his greatest fears of the outdoors. He even states that parts of North Carolina and West Virginia claim to have black bear over-population. In his months on the Trail, he never once saw a black bear. If the regions claim to be over-populated, why would a trail that gets thousands of hikers a year with lots of goodies for bears to eat not have any???
