When human food is around, bears don't hibernate as long

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Most bears slow their metabolism and go into a deep slumber for most of the winter, but not all bear hibernations last the same amount of time. New research suggests the availability of human food is linked with shorter hibernation times.

In Slovenia, bear feeding is a popular strategy. Corn is used to lured bears to hunting grounds and away from human settlements. Researchers from the University of Ljubljana found bears living near areas featuring corn feeding hibernated for shorter periods of time.

Hibernation times for females were 45 percent shorter than average. For males, hibernation times near corn feeding were 56 percent shorter.

In addition to being unnatural, coaxing a bear out of its usual slumber increases the chance the animals will interact with humans.

Researchers published their findings in the Journal of Zoology.

"Hibernation is an important part of the bear life cycle. Our research showed that providing bears with human food can disrupt this cycle and increases the period when bears interact with people," researcher Miha Krofel said in a news release. "These side-effects caution against uncritical application of bear feeding and baiting practices, which are regularly used throughout the world for various purposes in bear management."

In the United States, some biologists have suggested controlled feeding could mitigate aggressive bear behavior inspired by hunger, but most wildlife managers belief the practice creates greater risk of bear-human interactions. Bear baiting for hunting purposes has been linked with a variety of ecological problems.