Abstract 106 - Conditioned Food Aversion with Odor Association: An Ethological Approach to Reducing Crop Damage and Bear-Human Conflict
Heather Havelock, Washington State University StudentSalon 8/9
Heather Havelock, Jazmin Gonzalez, Charles Robbins, Heiko Jansen
Nutrient-dense and convenient foods in crop fields represent well-known areas of conflict for
attracted bears. Human-bear conflict is imminent as weight gain is essential for bears entering
hibernation when sows produce cubs. Conditioned food aversion (CFA) is a form of behavior
modification based on a temporary yet unpleasant physiological response like nausea resulting
from ingesting adulterated food and an aversion to that food subsequently. CFA has been
combined with supporting stimuli such as odor (CFAO) to strengthen aversion in badgers but
not in bears. We hypothesized that CFAO could be effective in bears due to their reliability on
olfaction and memory when foraging. We tested CFAO in captive brown bears at Washington
State University using the aversive agent thiabendazole (TBZ) and odorant (lemon oil). Findings
showed that aversion was retained even after two hibernation periods with stronger aversion
in wild-born bears compared to captive-born bears, thus prompting proposed application in a
field setting. Testing stations containing apples, TBZ, and lemon oil will be placed on the
perimeter of Washington apple orchards and monitored via trail cameras and site visits. Similar
camera footage will be analyzed at control sites containing only apples and lemon oil. Line
transects of trees of orchards before testing station placement and after will be used to
quantify apple loss and tree damage. This nonlethal style of management for deterring bears
from specific food sources may result in fewer bear mortalities from conflict and reduce
economic loss for farmers.