Why does it harm bears to be fed from humans?

The biggest problem wildlife officers face in dealing with black bears is that people feed bears. People have been told for decades that Garbage Kills Bears and a Fed Bear is a Dead Bear but somehow it doesnt sink in. ABR knows of people who live near ABR who will not stop feeding bears. They just dont or wont understand that people who feed bears, kill bears. Here are the facts and they are not pretty. Black bears are wild animals. When humans feed bears (or leave garbage where it can be taken by bears) bears look to humans for food. They stop acting as wild animals. Fed bears develop highly unsafe habits. They charge at people, they break into cars, buildings or tents looking for food and have injured or killed people. A fed bear typically passes on its bad habits to its offspring or other bears. Some people (who feed bears) seem to believe it wont hurt if I feed a bear just this once. What they do not realize is that any bear that is being feed by humans already associates food ...  more