Conventional wisdom among bear biologists holds that hunting is bad for cubs because as adult male bears are chased from their regular range, they encounter and often kill young bears they have not sired, thus increasing the rate of ursine infanticide. But a new study conducted by the University of Alberta, in which researcher Sophie Czetwertynski monitored 290 bears over four years, found that hunted bears had much higher cub survival, as well as higher productivity among females. In short, the study suggests that properly regulated hunting may in fact improve bear populations.
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