Humans and bears - Wild encounters

[brotherbear]

The Bears of Katmai by Matthias Breiter.

Brown bears do occupy home ranges, but they do not defend them against their own kind. Thus, by definition, these home ranges are not territories and should not be confused with such. Maintaining territorial boundaries makes sense only if the advantage obtained by exclusive exploitation of the resources contained in the area justifies the energy expanded and the risk involved in defending these boundaries. Because bears travel across vast tracts of land to satisfy their nutritional needs and because different areas in their environment provide food at varying times of year, the defense of such large expanse of country would be impossible. However, if the resource is both limited and concentrated in a small area, such as a kill, carrion, or even a small but rich berry patch, bears will fight competitors fiercely. Reply