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The town of Mammoth Lake, California, has had a problem with bears for years. It stems from a simple misunderstanding between people, who don't expect bears in their yards, and the bears, who are tempted by the delicious food the town's residents keep in their trash cans, vehicles, pet bowls, and birdfeeders. When the two meet, the result is usually deadly, mostly for the bears. On average, 100 problem bears are killed by game wardens in California each year. Steve Searles thinks he has an alternative.
Born in Orange County, California, Searles is a former hunter who began working with the Mammoth Police Department in 1996. Now, instead of using tranquilizers or bullets, Searles uses a combination of firecrackers, flares, rubber bullets, air horns, and shouts, to convince other resident bears he is the "biggest, baddest, meanest bear" in town. It is a strange method, but it appears to work. In one year, Searles managed to reduce the urban bear population from 40 to 30.
Still, Searles has some critics and, currently, is no longer officially employed by the Mammoth Lakes Police Department. Relieved of his duties in 2007 as a "result of his performance," many Mammoth residents routinely call on the town to reinstate their "bear whisperer." As a result of this public enthusiasm, and the lack of a humane-alternative, Searles is still called on to help with the town's bear problem and has worked a consultant for other agencies around California and the United States.
For more environmental news, check out Focus Earth: January 24, 2008: Inauguration Wrap-Up and The Bear Whisperer.
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