Wilson Sherman

“When people move to these foothill neighborhoods, a lot of people are moving in because they think it’s a suburb of LA. But they’re not necessarily thinking they’re going to have bears in their back yard,”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman observes that people moving to foothill neighborhoods may not expect bears in their backyards.

“They can eat everything we can eat.”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman notes that bears can eat the same foods humans eat.

“Bears are really cute, and a lot of the things they do are really cute … This is a real way to build meaningful empathy for wildlife, and building empathy for wildlife is a powerful motivator for conservation actions,”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman says social media footage of bears can build empathy and motivate conservation action.

“There is this risk of … kind of Disney-fying them. Black bears are by nature not particularly aggressive unless they are put in a dangerous or threatening situation, but they can cause damage. It’s best to give them their space.”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman warns that social media can Disney-fy bears, which are not aggressive by nature but can cause damage and should be given space.

“It takes a lot of work to get the calories from, say, a half eaten pizza in the trash in equivalent calories from acorns and ants,”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman explains the caloric efficiency of human food compared to natural bear forage.

“Black bears are incredibly adaptable, versatile omnivores,”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman explains that black bears are adaptable omnivores drawn to human food sources.

“Bears are super likable and this population of bears wouldn’t be there if people didn’t like bears so much.”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman notes that the bear population near LA persists because people like bears.

“It makes sense to get calories from human food.”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman explains why it is logical for bears to seek calories from human food.

“Pet food left outside, koi ponds, fruit trees with a lot of fruit on them, swimming pools, all these things can be attractive to bears,”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman lists common human-environment features that attract bears.

“At first it can be really scary, but the people I’ve spoken to generally become accustomed to them.”

Wilson Sherman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-20

Sherman says people initially find bears scary but generally become accustomed to them.