LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — For the first time in a century, two bear attacks ended in two fatalities. Now, bear populations are on the rise, which can lead to more encounters and sightings.

Bears are cute, but they are not cuddly. The most important thing to remember is that when you are recreating, bears are wild animals and can be dangerous.

“If you go back 100 years, we had very few bears in the bear state. Arkansas used to be called the bear state because we had so many bears,” said Don White Jr, Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Arkansas’s College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources.

White has been studying and researching bears in the state for the last 25 years. And over the last 60 years, the bear population has continued to grow, taking its place back in t

See Full Page