© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Discover Nature: Be Bear Aware

Missouri Department of Conservation

Wildflowers and warm weather signify the arrival of spring in Missouri and one of the state’s largest, heaviest wild mammals enjoys the season as much as we do. This week on Discover Nature, we recognize National Bear Awareness Month.

Black bears mate through June, but reproductive development pauses for 6-to-7 months, until bears enter hibernation.  Mother bears birth litters of 2-to-3 cubs in January and February, sometimes while the mother still sleeps. 

Black bears are omnivores, but as they emerge in spring, they feed heavily on green vegetation to restart their digestive system.  

Bears rarely pose a threat to people until they lose their natural fear of humans.  Feeding bears – either intentionally or unintentionally – can cause them to associate people with food, making them dangerous. 

Avoid attracting bears, and learn what to do if you encounter one in the wild by visiting www.mdc.mo.gov

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Trevor serves as KBIA’s weekday morning host for classical music. He has been involved with local radio since 1990, when he began volunteering as a music and news programmer at KOPN, Columbia's community radio station. Before joining KBIA, Trevor studied social work at Mizzou and earned a masters degree in geography at the University of Alabama. He has worked in community development and in urban and bicycle/pedestrian planning, and recently served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia with his wife, Lisa Groshong. An avid bicycle commuter and jazz fan, Trevor has cycled as far as Colorado and pawed through record bins in three continents.
Related Content