Visiting the WSU Bear Center
The Bear Center is one of the primary attractions when visiting Pullman and Washington State University and Moscow and the University of Idaho. Many tourists, public school students, outdoor recreationists, local residents, hunters, Native Americans, scientists, university students and alumni are fascinated by bears. Visitation consists of thousands of people per year to observe bears foraging or playing in the exercise yard. Visitation is fairly informal at this time (no reservations are needed to view bears). However, dedicated and structured public education missions are a large part of the proposed National Bear Center at WSU.
Public Education
The risk from wild bears:
One question commonly asked by visitors is, “How much of a risk are bears if I am hiking or camping in bear country or if I live in the country and they occasionally occur in my neighborhood?” While the risk always depends on how the person behaves and the events that brought the bear close to people, the probability of anyone being injured or killed is very low relative to the many other risks in our daily lives. For example, here are a few causes of premature deaths and the numbers of people dying from those causes each year in the U.S.:
All Diseases 2,300,000
Smoking-related illnesses 400,000
Homicides and suicides 49,216
Motor vehicle accidents 48,433
Drug overdose & chronic alcoholism 23,572
Choking on object or food 3,879
Falling down stairs 1,588
Falling off a ladder or out of bed 959
Bicycle accidents 762
Bathtub drowning 332
Deer-car collisions 130 (most deadly wild animal in the US is the white-tailed deer flying through the windshield)
Bee or wasp sting 66
Lightning 47
Dog attacks 32 (4.7 million people are bitten/year, 750,000 require medical attention, 6,000 require hospitalization. 8% of all dogs will bite someone in their life.)
Skydiving 22
Crushing by human stampede 22
Snakebites 15
Pet tigers 2
Grizzly bears (all of North America) 2
Black bears (all of North America) 1
Primary source: Time magazine, December 4, 2006
Thus, contrary to the images of bears portrayed in many sporting magazines and movies, concern about bears should not prevent you from enjoying the wild areas of North America or living with bears in your neighborhood. In fact, only four people have been killed by grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park since 1839, even though well over 3 million people per year currently visit the park.
However, everyone must realize that bears are very food-focused as they spend virtually their entire life looking for enough food to meet their basic needs. Thus, you should not place human food or garbage, birdseed, or pet food in areas that would attract bears. Because bears can smell many foods through thin-walled garages or storage sheds, such items should be stored in areas that are bear-proof. Similarly, if you live in areas frequented by bears, backyard bird-feeding should be restricted to only those winter months when bears are hibernating.
Media Coverage
Researchers working on such a broad array of topics on such a high profile, charismatic species as grizzly bears have attracted national media attention. Current research programs have been featured in the Spokane Spokesman Review, Seattle Times, and Anchorage Daily News Sunday editions, MSNBC, ABC Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, and several Animal Planet shows, including one hosted by the late Steve Irwin. The Washington State University Bear Program has received more media coverage than any other research program at the university. Check out our media page »
