The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is recommending a website that can assist Louisiana residents with learning to co-exist with the Louisiana black bear.
 
Thanks to conservation and management efforts, black bears have made a dramatic comeback in Louisiana. Bearwise.org offers ways to prevent conflicts, provides recommendations and resources to resolve problems and encourages community initiatives to keep bears wild. As bears expand into areas with suitable habitat, it is important to learn how to coexist with them and bearwise.org, part of a regional program based in the southeastern United States, recommends practical solutions.
 
In April of 2016, the Louisiana black bear was officially removed from the list of species protected through the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Louisiana black bear is a subspecies of black bear unique to Louisiana, western Mississippi and eastern Texas.
 
For more information on the website, contact LDWF wildlife outreach coordinator Carrie Salyers at csalyers@wlf.la.gov or 337-262-2080.