Meet Mark Jones, Bear Biologist

written by Rodney Foushee
photographed by Melissa McGaw

Mark has been working for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission for nearly six years. As the state's black bear project leader, he monitors wild bears in North Carolina to make sure they are doing well. With 9,000 bears spread across 54 counties, that's a lot to keep up with.

As a kid, I grew up in the Virginia mountains where there were plenty of bears. As long as I can remember I loved the outdoors and wildlife, but I never knew there was such a job as a wildlife biologist until I got to college. As soon as I learned about this I knew this was the job for me! I like the thought that what I do may ensure that bears are around in North Carolina for future generations.

How Does a Biologist Monitor a Bear?

Basically my job is to monitor North Carolina's bear population and make recommendations on how to manage these animals. It is important to have bears around, but sometimes there can be problems when there are too many people living in the same area with bears. Hunting provides one way to keep a bear population at a level where people and bears can live together. A bear sanctuary, on the other hand, provides a safe place for female bears to raise their cubs.

Sometimes, Mark traps live bears in the woods and even crawls into their dens while the bears are sleeping to check on them. Now that's exciting!

Live trapping bears is very important in my job because I can learn about the bears' overall health, ages and whether specific bears are related. Once a bear is captured, I can also attach a radio transmitter collar to the bear to track it using telemetry. I can learn a lot about its home range, denning site and habitat needs.

Bears are normally secretive, shy animals, so catching one is not easy. First, you have to study what habitat they like. Bears prefer large, unbroken forests that provide food and plenty of cover. In the mountains, you might find them in a mature hardwood forest. At the coast, bears prefer swampy, bottomland forests and pocosins.

Once I trap a bear, I give it a drug to immobilize it. Then, with the help of
other biologists, we weigh the bear, check its body condition, determine its age and take a little blood for testing. If the bear has an injury, we give it antibiotics to help the bear get well. We also put a tag in the bear's ear to keep up with it if it is recaptured. Finally, we give the bear another drug that allows the bear to move again so it can return to the wild.

Questions and Answers

What does a bear feel like?

Its hair is coarse, like that of a dog that stays outside most of the time. A bear is also warm, when you touch it because its body temperature is higher than a person's.

Are you scared of bears?

No, I'm not afraid of bears, but I respect them. You have to respect a wild animal that is as large and powerful as a black bear--and you have to give it its space.

What if I see a bear in the woods?

If you see a bear, don't panic. Just stand upright and back slowly away from the bear. Whatever you do, don't try to feed bears even if they seem tame. And don't play with bear cubs if you happen to find one. Their mother is likely nearby and she can take care of them just fine.

The future for bears in North Carolina really depends on people and whether we decide to set enough wild land aside for them. We've got to leave room for bears and other wildlife if we want them for the future.

Read and Find Out

• Scientists Who Study Wild Animals, by Mel Higginson, The Rourke Book Co., Inc, 1994.
• Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland, edited by William David Webster, James F. Parnell
  and Walter C. Biggs Jr., The University of North Carolina Press, 1985.
• Black Bear Country, by Michael Furtman, NorthWord Press, 1998.
• Walking with Bears, by Terry D. Debruyn, The Lyons Press, 1999.
• Bears: Polar Bears, Black Bears and Grizzly Bears, by Deborah Hodge, Kids Can Press, 1999.

What Does It Mean?

population: all of the animals or plants that occur in a specific area sanctuary: a reserved area where animals are protected from hunting or disturbance telemetry: a method of tracking wild animals by attaching them with radio transmitters and using a receiver to locate their signal home range: the amount of space an animal uses to obtain food, water and cover

habitat: food, water, cover and space suitable to an animal's needs

pocosin: a low, flat, swampy area dominated by thick evergreen shrubs

immobilize: to make something so that it can't move

antibiotic: a substance, produced by a living organism, which suppresses or destroys germs that cause disease

Test Your Knowledge

Do you know the bear facts? Check out this Quiz and find out just how much you know about bears.