Human Tolerance in Romanian Brown Bears ( Ursus arctos ): Access to Human Food Sources Can Lead to Changes in Bear Behaviour
6 affiliations
- 1Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology Babeş‐Bolyai University Cluj‐Napoca Romania
- 2Laboratory for Sociobiology and Insect Ecology, Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș‐Bolyai University Cluj‐Napoca Romania
- 3HUN‐REN‐PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
- 4Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
- 5Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science and Informatics University of Szeged Szeged Hungary
- 6Laboratory of Social and Myrmecophilous Insects, Museum and Institute of Zoology Polish Academy of Sciences Warsaw Poland
Abstract
Tolerance to humans in wild animals can lead to several conflict situations and contribute to a generally negative perception of these animals among people. When a wild animal becomes reliant on human‐derived food, dangerous situations can arise, posing risks to both animals and humans. The brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) is a controversial species in Romania, as it is protected but also responsible for incidents with livestock, crops, or even humans. In our study, we aimed to identify the factors that facilitate bear visits to the town of Băile Tușnad and assess their effects on bear behaviours associated with increased tolerance of humans. Using city surveillance cameras, we analysed bear behaviour in relation to the use of electric fences and the presence of garbage scattered around the bins, seeking for a better understanding of which factors should be mitigated or adjusted to improve the safety of both bears and citizens. Our results supported our hypotheses that frequent bear visits to garbage container islands are linked to the availability of garbage and insufficient protective measures, such as non‐activated electric fences. As the frequency of bear visits increased, we observed a decrease in fearful behaviours, such as hesitation before entering the container islands or scanning their surroundings while foraging. This suggests that the bears of Băile Tușnad, in addition to showing signs of food conditioning, were also exhibiting increased tolerance to the urban environment, both of which could serve as precursors of a more persistent tolerance to human activity in the long term.
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BibTeX
@article{gal2026human,
title = {{Human Tolerance in Romanian Brown Bears ( Ursus arctos ): Access to Human Food Sources Can Lead to Changes in Bear Behaviour}},
author = {László Gál and Írisz‐Barbara Dobos and András Liker and István Elek Maák},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74359},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74359},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Human Tolerance in Romanian Brown Bears ( Ursus arctos ): Access to Human Food Sources Can Lead to Changes in Bear Behaviour
AU - László Gál
AU - Írisz‐Barbara Dobos
AU - András Liker
AU - István Elek Maák
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/09
JO - Ecology and Evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74359
UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74359
AB - Tolerance to humans in wild animals can lead to several conflict situations and contribute to a generally negative perception of these animals among people. When a wild animal becomes reliant on human‐derived food, dangerous situations can arise, posing risks to both animals and humans. The brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) is a controversial species in Romania, as it is protected but also responsible for incidents with livestock, crops, or even humans. In our study, we aimed to identify the factors that facilitate bear visits to the town of Băile Tușnad and assess their effects on bear behaviours associated with increased tolerance of humans. Using city surveillance cameras, we analysed bear behaviour in relation to the use of electric fences and the presence of garbage scattered around the bins, seeking for a better understanding of which factors should be mitigated or adjusted to improve the safety of both bears and citizens. Our results supported our hypotheses that frequent bear visits to garbage container islands are linked to the availability of garbage and insufficient protective measures, such as non‐activated electric fences. As the frequency of bear visits increased, we observed a decrease in fearful behaviours, such as hesitation before entering the container islands or scanning their surroundings while foraging. This suggests that the bears of Băile Tușnad, in addition to showing signs of food conditioning, were also exhibiting increased tolerance to the urban environment, both of which could serve as precursors of a more persistent tolerance to human activity in the long term.
SN - 2045-7758
SN - 2045-7758
ER -