Imagine your morning routine. Your alarm goes off, and you drag yourself out of bed, and get ready for the day. Then you get in your car and drive to work. Pretty ordinary morning, right? Except that as you are driving, you see what appears to be a huge dog. Except that it’s not a dog – it’s a black bear. If this happened to you, it would be a similar experience to those of residents of Illinois towns Galena, Rockford, Mt. Morris, and Genoa, where one black bear made his journey into the state in summer 2014 (Williams 2014). As these animals return to a state from which they had previously disappeared, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is responsible for protecting them. I spoke to Brent Williams, a University of Illinois Ph. D. student in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, about IDNR’S work in managing black bears as well as other reappearing animals, such as wolves and cougars, and the challenges they face in this regulation.

Williams explained the IDNR is responsible for protecting all species on the threatened and endangered list in Illinois. However, until January 2015, black bears, cougars, and wolves were not offered this protection because they were not here. Now that they are, however, the best course of action must be determined. To gather public opinion on this subject, the IDNR mailed out total of 3000 surveys, 500 each to six counties in Illinois. In future, he said, it is possible that more surveys will be sent out. Williams stated that IDNR “wants to make sure they are managing these species the way we (the public) want them to be managed”. I thought this made sense, as IDNR is funded through Illinois tax dollars, but Williams stated that Kentucky and Alabama, two other states in which he has worked, do not care nearly as much as Illinois does about state residents’ opinions on wildlife management.

The black bear survey, bound by bright yellow paper, contained seven pages worth of questions. I asked Williams what the purpose was behind all those questions. He responded that although knowing what the public thinks is important, knowing why they think that way allows IDNR to adequately respond to concerns and misconceptions. Questions like “as compared to five years ago, are there fewer or more bears living in Illinois?” measured level of education on the topic, while questions such as, “If you saw a black bear wandering in a natural area (park, etc.) within 20 miles of your home, how much would you feel each of the following?” asked respondents to rate how strongly they would feel emotions including “joy,” “fear,” and “disgust.” When looking over the survey, I was surprised to see a question that asked how much respondents agreed with the statement, “I would support Illinois DNR actively reintroducing black bears in Illinois.” Does this mean that you should expect the IDNR to show up outside your house with a truckload of bears? He admitted that this part of the survey had led to some confusion, but assured me it was purely theoretical, as the liability risk would be too great. However, it is possible that IDNR will allow black bears to naturally recolonize less populated areas.

Although the surveys have not been returned yet, Williams stated that a common misconception about black bears is not they are dangerous, but rather, that they are big and cuddly. Of course, this is not the case, says Williams. “They’re opportunistic feeders – they’ll eat anything they can,” he warns. This idea is different from those on cougars and wolves, on which surveys were also sent out. Williams described the public’s “long-standing fascination” with bears, in contrast to “long-standing fear” of wolves and cougars. “We have that image of the big bad wolf,” he elaborated. All of these opinions go into IDNR’s approach to protecting these animals.

As we talked about the public’s attitude towards conservation, Williams mentioned an unlikely group of supporters: hunters. I know conservationists love to enjoy the outdoors. But I always thought they did so through non-consumptive, “leave no trace” principles. However, this is not always true. Williams explained how a firearm tax provides protection to deer populations, which can be an “umbrella species” and protect land for other species. Although not permitted in Illinois, in other states with higher populations, hunts are organized for bears, wolves, and cougars.

In 2015, there have not been any reports of black bears in Illinois. However, “that doesn’t mean that they’re not here,” Williams told me, explaining that often, wild animals can wander through a region for a while before someone sees them. For all we know, there could be one wandering around now, or another species of animal that has not yet appeared. However, when they do, you can be sure the IDNR will take action to protect them.