America has a long and complex history with the black bear (Ursus americanus). We fed them at Yellowstone and then hunted them as big game. We have used them as the inspiration behind iconic toys such as the Teddy Bear, forced them to parade around in circuses, used their likeness as mascots, and incorporated them into significant components of our children’s stories.
Yet, what does it mean to be a black bear in our human-dominated spaces? We know bears have superior navigational abilities and excellent long-term memories, but how do black bears navigate our continuously changing landscape, and what can we do to create a safer world for both humans and black bears?
This short film explores our relationship with the American black bear (Ursus americanus) and how they have had to adapt to our modern societies and infrastructure. Habitat fragmentation and climate change are just some of the anthropogenically caused disturbances causing other-than-human animals (henceforth animals) to seek refuge in our suburban environments. We have unintentionally created spaces for animals looking for food, water, and shelter in these hotter summer months and, as a result, have created a dynamic in which animals seek out these environments. One animal that is becoming a more frequent visitor to suburban Los Angeles is the American black bear. Using their incredible sense of smell, they are attracted to our trash, fruit trees, and birdfeeders, and when they arrive, they also enjoy cooling off in our hot tubs and pools. When these interactions lead to conflict, the individual bears are labeled the “nuisance,” but what role do humans play, and is it really the bears that are at fault?
While anthropomorphism is a valuable tool to foster compassion towards animals, it can also be problematic when we reduce animals to specific characteristics based on our human tendencies. Confined to this mindset, we fail to imagine and empathize with other animals. For example, we may never know what a black bear is thinking, yet research shows us that, like other animals, bears think, feel, and can suffer just like us. This short film, therefore, explores a concept called egomorphism, which was suggested by anthropologist Kay Milton in 2005. Egomorphism is where we recognize that animals are self-like rather than human-like and ask us to value animals for their own sake rather than their similarity to humans. Using the lens of egomorphism, we can start to empathize and imagine what it could be like to be a black bear navigating our human landscapes. While we may see a fence or a wall as a barrier not to be crossed, bears may see this as a minor obstacle to overcome. For instance, during the hot summer months, people are drawn to an outdoor pool party where they can celebrate with cake, drinks, and the ability to cool off. Bears, however, are driven by their sense of smell, which is 2,100 times better than ours. Yet the outcome for humans and bears is much the same: we both enjoy a sweet treat and an escape from the heat through a dip in the pool.
By observing patterns in local black bear communities through trail cameras and other observational filmmaking, we plan to document the thought process behind black bears’ intentions when exploring Southern California areas. By physically showing how black bears adapt to our modern landscapes and through the use of specific editing techniques, such as manipulating the sound and image to replicate what we understand black bears to experience based on research, we hope to put the audience in the minds of these animals. By doing so, we aim to offer a perspective different from our own in hopes that, by putting ourselves in the mindset of these black bears, we can essentially share these experiences to better understand and empathize with their behaviors and needs.
As visual storytellers, we are sensitive to the needs of all our subjects, both humans and animals. We see the black bears as co-creators of the film and co-participants in the research process. For us, bears are also persons, and by assigning personhood to our animal participants, we recognize their sentience and individuality and acknowledge that they have their own individual lived experiences and stories to tell. This film will respect and benefit all participants, and as filmmakers, we have a duty of care to everyone involved.
“You can do the best science in the world, but unless emotion is involved, it’s not really very relevant. Conservation is based on emotion. It comes from the heart, and one should never forget that.” — George Schaller.
To create meaningful and lasting change, we need to lead with empathy and compassion for other beings. Like other animals, bears are not voiceless; they have a voice through their actions, and as humans, we have to find a better way to listen by interpreting these behaviors. Using egomorphism and respecting bears as co-participants and co-creators, we can approach human-wildlife conflict from a different perspective, including focusing on the bears. Like us, they are also trying to survive, but unlike us, they are not moral agents and don’t have access to the same resources. As humans, we can take responsibility for our actions, and rather than work against bears, we should instead work together to find non-invasive and non-lethal solutions. We hope that people will reflect on their interactions with black bears and start the dialogue in thinking and acting differently towards wildlife living within our communities.
About Claire and her research
Claire Musser is the Executive Director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and a Master of Arts in Anthrozoology, where her research focused on Mexican gray wolf recovery from the perspective of individual wolves. Claire is currently a postgraduate researcher working towards a Ph.D. in environmental photography. She utilizes her creativity to blend the arts and sciences with her current research exploring multispecies entanglements between humans and urban carnivores.
bearsinhottubs@gmail.com
References
Milton, K. (2020) ‘Anthropomorphism or egomorphism? the perception of non-human persons by human ones’, Animals in Person, pp. 255–271. doi:10.4324/9781003135883-13.
Van Patter, L.E. and Blattner, C. (2020) ‘Advancing ethical principles for non-invasive, respectful research with nonhuman animal participants’, Society & Animals, 28(2), pp. 171–190. doi:10.1163/15685306-00001810.
Credits
Director/Producer – Claire Musser
Executive Producer – Kirstyn Kubicki
Associate Producer – Korinna Domingo
Director of Photography (Associate Producer) – Johanna Turner
2nd Unit Director of Photography – Simon Anderson
Drone Operator – Elias Blaset
Editor – Hailee Durant
Special thank you to – Brian Gordon, Rick Martinez, and Gail Gottfried