The word "don't" begs transgression. The human primate brain just has such trouble contemplating a negative. "Don't think about pink elephants!" Ha, you did.
Educational psychology 101 devotes a lot of energy to understanding how to manipulate children. If a child is too handsy with another, then the teacher can react or act. The reaction would be to say, "don't touch him." But the action would be so state, "put your hands in your pockets." It is a slight change of language with a world of difference. In the first case the teacher is the bad-guy, the one who says no. In the second case the student is asked to do something, and in doing so can't do what was problematic for the teacher.
People feed the bears even after they have been taught that it is a bad and dangerous practice. They feed the bears after they are told to stop. And they keep feeding the bears until someone gets hurt. In the case of habituated bears, more than one entity suffers. The human primate gets injured and the bear gets destroyed by the wildlife agents.
This story from Montana is too familiar but worth retelling. Black bears and people can coexist, in low human primate density areas like northern Minnesota and high human primate density areas like New Jersey. If allowed, black bears could coexist in Iowa with people.
But if allowed to live in Iowa, how will we make sure that people, "Don't feed the bears?" One of missions of Ursus Iowa is to provide leadership in educating Iowans about Black Bears. We have ideas but also invite any helpful comments and suggestions. What do you think?
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