Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found on the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Common characteristics of modern bears include large bodies with stocky legs, long snouts, small rounded ears, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and short tails.
While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous, and the giant panda feeds almost entirely on bamboo, the remaining six species are omnivorous with varied diets. With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals. They may be diurnal or nocturnal and have an excellent sense of smell. Despite their heavy build and awkward gait, they are adept runners, climbers, and swimmers. Bears use shelters, such as caves and logs, as their dens; most species occupy their dens during the winter for a long period of hibernation, up to 100 days.
Bears have been hunted since prehistoric times for their meat and fur; they have been used for bear-baiting and other forms of entertainment, such as being made to dance. With their powerful physical presence, they play a prominent role in the arts, mythology, and other cultural aspects of various human societies. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats and illegal trade in bear parts, including the Asian bile bear market. The IUCN lists six bear species as vulnerable or endangered, and even least concern species, such as the brown bear, are at risk of extirpation in certain countries. The poaching and international trade of these most threatened populations are prohibited, but still ongoing.
In Whistler, the answer is not so obvious. Outside the Pique office on Monday morning was a large bear pie, just a metre from the front door. There was also a large pile at the entrance to the old Millar Creek Road trail that runs parallel to the highway, as well as in the middle of the Valley Trail connecting Spring Creek and Cheakamus Crossing. To me, it looks like the bears are defecating anywhere but the woods. Are they marking territory, I wonder, or is this maybe the bears’ form of non-violent protest against human encroachment into their territory.
I called black bear researcher Michael Allen to get to the bottom of the mystery.
1. Bears are using poop to mark their territories or feeding areas: FALSE.
According to Michael Allen, bears have other ways to leave their signature. “Bears use trees or sign posts to leave their scent or bite/claw marks at about six feet high,” he wrote. “Bears do recognize one another from the scent of scat and urine, and this is one way males find females during breeding season.”
2. Bears are making a statement. ALSO FALSE. “Why do bears poop on the Valley Trail or in the village? Because they are frequently using the Valley Trail during evening or early hours where they do forage heavily. Bears often get startled along the trail or somewhere they are not supposed to be — in the village — thus the phrase ‘scared shitless.’
“I once startled a large male feeding on huckleberries at the top of a cutblock and he jumped out of the shrubs and ran full-charge away form me along the logging road where he left (I measured) a 13-metre long purple skid mark of huckleberry pie.”
(Anyone who has ever had a bear break into their home or vehicle in search of food can verify that phrase is accurate.)
Our bears do go in the woods and practically anywhere and everywhere else they can be found. Allen said there are three reasons why a bear poops:
1. When they are full, which is frequent because they have a simple digestive system. Food does not stay in a bear very long.
2. When they are exerting themselves, such as walking up a ski trail or after running.
3. When they are stressed, such as a sudden encounter with a human or dog. Also, after a confrontation with another bear.”
Given that bear pies are a natural feature in Whistler, one step you can take to avoid scat around your home is to bear-proof your residence — the less time they spend around your home and neighbourhood, the less scat you’ll find on the ground.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is asking residents and campers in Whistler and Sea to Sky to be extra vigilant after seeing a spike in bear activity. In one case, a bear got into a vehicle through the open window.
People who do not secure wildlife attractants while camping or in their homes could face charges under the B.C. Provincial Wildlife Act. Feeding dangerous wildlife carries a fine of $345; depositing a substance that attracts dangerous wildlife is also $345, while attracting dangerous wildlife to your land or premise is $230.
As well, drivers should never stop along the highway to observe bears. It creates a safety risk for other vehicles and habituates bears to humans, which can result in future conflicts.
And future bear pies.
DOES A BEAR SHIT IN THE WOODS?
Originally and chiefly American English, the rhetorical question Does a bear shit, or crap, live, etc., in the woods? is used ironically as a response to a question or statement felt to be blatantly obvious—synonym: Is the Pope (a) Catholic?—cf. also ‘Is a bear Catholic?’ | ‘Does the Pope shit in the woods?’.
TYPOGRAPHIC AND SEMANTIC SUBSTITUTES FOR THE VERB SHIT
The verb shit has sometimes been replaced by a long dash or by the letter s followed by three short dashes.
does a bear poop in the woods
For example, on Monday 12th April 1982, The Huntsville Times (Huntsville, Alabama) published an article about the Masters golf tournament, which had taken place the previous day—the following is about the U.S. golfer Dan Pohl:
Someone asked, “Were you pleased when you found out you were in a playoff?” Pohl laughed and tossed out the old line, “Does a bear — in the woods?”
Another example: In The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, New South Wales) of Friday 30th October 1987, David Dale quoted Does a bear shit in the woods? and several of its American-English synonyms from Maledicta: The Journal of Verbal Aggression (Waukesha, Wisconsin), a journal dedicated to the study of offensive and negatively valued words and expressions, founded, edited and published by Reinhold Aman (1936-2019):
There’s also a Jewish tradition of using sarcastic questions to show contempt for comments judged to be inappropriate. The most often heard is “What am I, chopped liver?” but the range includes: Does a snake have knees? Does a chicken have lips? Does the Pope know Latin? Is the Pope a Catholic? Is the hole close to a donut? Does a bear s— in the woods? Is a pig’s ass pork? Is a four-pound robin fat?
Even responsible pet owners do it all the time.
They’ll take their dog for a walk in the woods and won’t bother picking up his feces, an oversight they’d never consider on a walk around the neighborhood.
Maybe they think, “Hey, it’s the woods, nobody’s going to step in it.” Or, “Hey, it’ll decompose and help fertilize the ground.” Or, “Hey, bears go in the woods and nobody picks up their poop. What’s the difference?”
The difference is their diet.
Bears don’t eat commercial dog food (unless they’ve stumbled upon a campsite where campers with a dog failed to secure their food stuffs). Dogs do, and if they poop in the woods and owners don’t pick up after them, it has a huge environmental impact.
does a bear poop in the woods
To measure that impact, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, a national organization that protects the outdoors by teaching people to enjoy it responsibly, tracked what they called “canine defecation events” on Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) land in Boulder, Colorado, last summer. The OSMP includes 45,000 acres of wildlife habitat, unique geological features, and greenways.
OSMP sees 5.3 million visitors each year and many of them bring their dogs. Not surprising, considering that 90% of OSMP’s 150 miles of hiking trails are open to dogs.
According to the study, only about 73% of dog owners picked up their pets’ waste. That means an estimated 60,000 pounds of dog poop gets left behind each year.
Here’s where the difference in diet comes in.
Thank you for staying with this post “does a bear poop in the woods” until the end.