Abstract

Bears evoke many responses in humans, both to their social/cultural presence and to their physical/ecological reality. This study examines attitudes towards bears in two cities in British Columbia, Canada. Focusing largely upon black bears (Ursus americanus), open-ended survey responses are analyzed to identify the key values that participants identified for the bears with whom they share space (both cities have large populations of urban bears). The largely positive nature of the values articulated suggests that there is hope for the long-term survival of these charismatic creatures even in largely urbanized settings.