No picnic: Americans face encounters with black bears as population rebounds

Largely relieved of pressure from deforestation and hunting, bears are increasingly coming into contact with people

The swift rebound of bear populations in the US is presenting a growing number of Americans with a major challenge - what to do about the enormous hirsute neighbors that are breaking into their homes, gorging on their food and guzzling their cans of soda?

Black bears, largely relieved of pressure on their numbers from untrammeled deforestation and hunting, are increasingly coming into contact with people in places where the two species haven't interacted in many decades.