The Role of Waste Receptacles in Wildlife Protection

Had Sylvia Plath lived to see today's burgeoning Environmental Movement, her tale of "The Fiftieth Bear" might have had a happier ending for two short-sighted campers.

Had the short story been written in these environmentally protective decades, it might instead have ended with relocation and rehabituation of the creature who (famished) lumbered into the campsite where (after a day of counting bears) the dead poet's protagonists slept . . . . Or, the plot might have hinged on relocating the animal to a fragmented habitat patch far from its usual range and grown into a "new novel" about the strengthened gene pool of an inbred population whose isolation also happily discouraged the animal's noctural raids on national park sites. Chances are, as literature majors may surmise, the tragically-inclined Plath would have made translocation of the fiftieth bear unsuccessful (even if either camper survived) in this hypothetical rewriting.

Makers of waste receptacles, however, would have had the story begin well before the imprudent couple's bear sightings reached forty-nine . . . .

Installation of bear-proof bins in national parks and other wilderness interface areas can prevent habituation of bears and other wild creatures to humans and their trash by preventing access. Indeed, preventing animal access to trash and recyclables so successfully discourages all animals from rifling through the trash that the National Park Service has installed bear-proof waste receptacles in park and recreations areas where the bear populations those parks protect also pose threats to their protectors -- from Glacier to Yosemite to Yellowstone to the Great Smokey Mountains.

In the battle to save vanishing wildlife -- prevention is an important consideration: Many animals -- once habituated to humans and human foods, uninclined to hunt or forage, or unable to reacquire a taste for nuts and berries -- must be humanely destroyed. The National Park Service policy on bears and other animals that are attracted to people's trash includes humane destruction, even of animals which are recognized as endangered or threatened species. Marsha Karle, Public Affairs Officer at Yellowstone National Park, says collecting, containing, and disposing of trash off park premises "absolutely helps animals survive. Habituation to humans or human foods often leads to destruction." To prevent such instances, the National Park Service relocates a varying number of bears each year -- not that relocation programs ensure the survival of any animals that have become accustomed to living off of human trash or prevents them from being humanely destroyed to save human lives . . . .

The most current National Park Service "bear report" summarizes human injuries, trappings and translocations inside and outside of Yellowstone, accidental and other deaths of bears from 1969-1993 with reference to historical incidents (1931-1968). Often there are no reports of human injuries due to bears over a period of years, though four maulings were reported in 1993 alone. Interpreting statistics is difficult, however, particularly as Conrad Wirth's "Mission 66" program greatly increased the number of people visiting parks after 1966 (see LASN October 1995) and park policies have varied. Indeed, in the mid-1960's and 1970's the practice of spreading garbage on the ground to attract bears and other wildlife was discontinued, and the National Park Service began rigid enforcement of its original policy of collecting and containing trash, disallowing any further use of trash to feed the public's craving to see bears feeding.

The situation is more obvious in wilderness parks than in suburbia or the outskirts of development. But, the truth is, waste receptacles and recycling bins that prevent animals from access save lives . . . human lives and animal lives. Whether it is bears in wildlands and wilderness parks or raccoons or domestic animals scavenging in cities and parks. The role of waste receptacle selection and use in wildlife projection is a subject that bears pause for thought.