Missouri Issues Warning to Residents to Please Stop Feeding Bears

I sometimes wonder why the state of Missouri issues warnings that should be common sense and this is a great example. Missouri conservation authorities are saying that residents really should stop feeding bears. Well, duh.

I will admit my jaw dropped a bit when I saw this conversation and news share on the Missouri sub-Reddit. It was a share by Yahoo News that I believe originated with KTVI in St. Louis about bears being on the move in Missouri. That's good to know for sure, but it was the other detail that caught my eye which said "MDC says don’t feed them".

Think about this for a second. The fact that the Missouri Department of Conservation had to warn residents to stop feeding bears means either it's happened in the past or is happening right now or maybe both.

Despite my instinct to inject snark, this really is a serious topic. Feeding bears is often a fatal decision for the bears and sometimes doesn't end well for the humans doing it either. While bears are indeed apex predators, they normally avoid human contact and are vegetarians. If they become comfortable with food sources near people, they will go after the food and then end up near people which often means the bears have to be put down by authorities. It really is no laughing matter.

The other aspect of the Missouri Department of Conservation warning was about being bear aware when you camp and make sure your food is placed in bear-safe containers and/or up in the trees away from where you're camping. That's also common sense, but a bit less obvious than "please don't offer a burger to a bear".